Novus Venator
by MissLindaLee
Summary: Picking up where Season 1 ended, the Winchesters cross paths with a young female hunter with a surprising connection to their lives. An alternate resolution to the car crash, taking a different view on how Season 2 might have started.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: This was an idea I had started last year during the summer, before the second season started, my own version of how things would have taken place after the car crash. I only recently got around to writing this alternate version of the second season, which is also my first Supernatural fic. All original characters are mine, and no copyright infringements are intended; this is just for entertainment purposes only. Enjoy!  
_

- - - -

Sam drove the Impala down the dark back road with John by his side and Dean in the back seat. He tried to watch the road and keep an eye on his brother at the same time. Dean looked bad, and Sam didn't know how much more blood he could stand to lose. John gave a sigh of pain and shifted his injured leg. His father hadn't said a word since The Demon left him.

"Look, just hold on, alright?" Sam said, trying to keep his brother with him. "The hospital's only ten minutes away."

"I'm surprised at you, Sammy," John finally said. "Why didn't you kill it? I thought we saw eye-to-eye on this. Killing this demon comes first - before me, before everything."

Sam didn't know how to explain it to his father and he glanced in the rearview mirror at Dean once again. How could he explain that it wasn't the most important thing? "No, sir," he said. "Not before everything." He paused a second, trying to reason with his father. "Look, we've still got the Colt, we still have one bullet left. We just have to start over, right? I mean, we already found The Demon -"

Sam saw the glare of the headlights a split second before the large truck slammed into the side of the car. Not enough time to react - just enough time to feel the jolt of the impact and have everything go black.

- - - -

A jet black 1969 GTO headed down the highway. Alicia sat behind the wheel, listening to one of the local radio stations. "'There's a bad moon on the rise,'" she sang along softly as she drummed her fingers on the wheel, eager to get to her uncle's house; she was tired, grungy, and on edge. The young woman suddenly heard a sickening crash to her right. She instinctively slowed down and turned her head, focusing in on the distance. Finally, she saw the source of the noise: an 18-wheeler smashed into a black Impala.

"Great," she said as she turned the wheel and floored the engine, cutting across the field.

The driver stared out through the windshield, his eyes black as coal, his face expressionless as he slowly climbed out of the cabin. He had started over toward the Impala when he heard the sound of a car approaching. He looked over and saw the GTO, and he narrowed his eyes. He waited until the car was about a hundred feet from him, staring straight at it. The vehicle suddenly and violently rolled on its side for a total of eight times before coming to a stop upside down.

Inside the vehicle, Alicia could feel the pain shooting up and down her body, and knew she was going to have more than a few bruises, but nothing appeared broken. She unbuckled her seatbelt and fell down, landing on the steering wheel.

"Ow," she muttered. She sighed. "I swear, if it ruined my car … I'll personally take its a-- right back to Hell myself." She took a deep breath and rolled over to the passenger's side, reaching into her glove compartment and grabbed the small pistol filled with rock salt. She carefully opened the door and climbed out, pushing through the pain as she crouched low, listening. She could hear four heartbeats, three grouped together. The people in the car, she thought. She gripped her gun tightly as she moved silently and quickly over to the truck. She snuck around the side, not making a sound, focusing in on the driver's heartbeat as she reached the front. She crouched low and counted to ten before slowly got to her feet and hurried around the front of the truck, aiming her gun right in the driver's face. "Don't move."

"Or what?" the possessed driver sneered at her. "You'll shoot me?"

"If I have to," Alicia replied. She crouched low and jumped into the air, flipping over the driver, and landing behind him. She swiftly kicked him in the back, knocking him down, then she aimed her pistol down at him. "Now, who are you?"

"You know who I am," the driver said, "but I'm not here for you."

"I don't care," Alicia replied. "I don't care what your plans are or what you want with these people, but I suggest you leave right now."

"No," the driver replied. A second later Alicia was thrown into the windshield of the truck, and she shouted in pain as the glass spider-webbed out from the impact; her gun clattered to the ground near the truck. The young woman crumpled to the concrete, moaning softly as the driver picked up her pistol and aimed it at her.

- - - -

Sam moaned as he started to come to. His head was pounding in pain and he didn't know what had happened at first. His face felt funny and he put a hand up to his head. He sat up a bit and opened his eyes. He looked over at his father, and he was suddenly very alert. John looked like hell, and Sam put a hand on his throat, almost afraid that he'd feel nothing. After a second he felt the drumming under his fingers and he knew his father was alive … for now. With a groan of pain Sam turned around and looked at Dean.

"Dean," Sam whispered, but he knew his brother couldn't hear him.

Sam couldn't reach his brother from where he was and he shoved at the car door. It flew open and Sam slid out onto his knees, then he used the door to pull himself to his feet. His vision was blurry and doubled at times and he had trouble grasping the rear door handle, but when he finally did he wrenched it open. The swift action caused pain to explode in his ribs and he gasped, almost passing out again.

He fell to his knees beside Dean and reached in to put his fingers on his brother's throat. At first he couldn't feel anything and he was sure Dean was dead. The grief and anger started to build and he almost missed it when a faint pulse moved under his fingers.

"Dean?" Sam said and put his hands on his brother's face. "Hey, Dean, open your eyes." Dean didn't wake up, but he did moan in pain and Sam thought it was the sweetest sound. "Stay with me, Dean." Gunfire suddenly rang out and Sam looked through the broken windows to the side of the semi, but couldn't see anything. He reluctantly let Dean go and moved around the car.

Sam didn't understand what he was seeing at first. The possessed driver was standing over a woman who was groaning in pain and had a pistol aimed at her. Sam moved to the back and reached into the buckled trunk to pull out a shotgun. He knew it was loaded - Dean always kept the guns loaded - and took aim at the driver. He didn't know who the woman was, but anybody the driver was trying to kill couldn't be all bad.

Sam let loose with both barrels.

- - - -

The driver shouted as the rock salt blasted him, sending him stumbling back. Alicia jerked her head to the side and saw Sam standing near the trunk, holding a shotgun; she wasn't sure if she was more shocked by that ... or by the fact that he looked like hell. Either way, she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth; she had to act fast.

The young woman winced through the pain of having been shot with rock salt and looked around for her pistol. She saw it at the feet of the possessed driver, and she held out her hand. The pistol suddenly flew into her hand, and she fired three rock salt bullets at the driver; he shouted and fell backwards to the ground. Alicia scrambled to her feet, keeping her gun in her hands and she rushed over.

"Exorcizo te, omnis spiritus immunde, in nomine Dei!" she shouted. "Exorcizo te, omnis spiritus immunde, in nomine Dei! Exorcizo te, omnis spiritus immunde, in nomine Dei!" The driver shouted, and a black smoke suddenly poured out of his mouth, disappearing into the sky. Alicia kept her gun trained on the unconscious driver, not ready to let her guard down.

- - - -

Sam blinked in surprise. It looked like that gun had flown to the woman's hand, but that couldn't be. He thought he was hallucinating when the woman started to speak what sounded like gibberish to him, but in a second he recognized it as Latin. He saw the dark cloud spew from the driver's mouth and disappear into the night.

Sam slumped down behind the car and dropped the shotgun. He hung his head in weariness for a second and then moved back around to the side of the car to Dean. He sat down on the ground beside his brother and everything went black once again.

(End of Chapter 1)


	2. Chapter 2

- - - - 

Alicia waited for what seemed like an eternity before she lowered her gun, knowing for sure that the demon was gone; she sighed, staring at the driver. "So much for a quiet evening," she said. She put her gun in the back of her jeans, then she turned around; she couldn't see the young man who had helped her, so she hurried over to the other side of the Impala and saw the young man on the ground beside the car. She knelt down and felt for a pulse; she smiled a little after a few seconds - he was still alive.

"Thank God," she whispered. She glanced over at Dean and then looked at the man in the front seat. She did a double take, recognizing John, then she slowly looked back at Sam and Dean. "Crap." She knew immediately who they were - and that explained why the demon had come after them. She glanced up, suddenly on guard. If the demon was that bold enough to blatantly attack the trio, then there was no telling how long she had before it came back with reinforcements; she had to work fast.

The young woman looked at her car, and the vehicle shuddered a little before slowly rolling over until it was once again on four wheels. It had a few dents - well, more than a few - and she knew it was going to take a week to get it fixed, but she didn't care. She took her cell phone from her jacket pocket and dialed a number, waiting for an answer.

"Bobby, it's Ally," she said after a few seconds. "Look, I know it's late, but I need your help. I'm on Route 8, about two miles east of your place. I need you to set aside Cherry Plum, Clematis, Impatiens, Rock Rose, Star of Bethlehem, Acacia, Angelica Rose, and my special mixture before you bring your tow truck - and haul a--." She hung up her phone and put it back in her jacket before she hurried to the back of her car.

The hood popped suddenly, and she lifted it up, revealing a weapons box of her own, then she looked at the Impala; the weapons flew out of the trunk and over to Alicia's car, setting into her trunk. She grabbed a particular pistol as it flew past her, and she studied it before checking for bullets; she saw the lone bullet in the chamber, and she locked the chamber back into place before tucking it into the back of her jeans next to her other gun.

Alicia hurried over to the Impala and wrapped her arms around Sam, helping him over to her car and gently helped him into the backseat; she heard him moan softly in pain. "Sorry," she said as she got him settled, then she went back to the Impala. She examined Dean's injuries and knew he was the worst of the trio, so she moved to John, helping the older man out of the car and into the backseat of hers, getting him settled next to Sam before going back for Dean.

The young woman knelt beside Dean and began checking him over. He was badly injured, with a massive chest wound, and she knew he'd lost a lot of blood, but he was going to live - if she hurried. Taking great care with Dean, Alicia helped him out of the car and into the front seat of the GTO, then she turned and waited until she saw a familiar tow truck approaching. Still, she drew her gun and kept it aimed as the truck stopped nearby, and Bobby got out.

"Ally, you okay?" he asked as he hurried over. He stopped short when he saw her gun aimed at him. "What happened?"

"I'm fine," Alicia replied. "A little sore, but I'll be okay." She put her gun away, wincing.

Bobby raised his eyebrow. "Then why did you wince?" he asked paternally. He gave her a look, silently telling her not to lie to him.

"I got thrown into a windshield and shot," Alicia replied, feeling a little annoyed he was asking about her. "I'll be fine, but the Winchesters aren't."

"Shot?" Bobby asked, alarmed.

"It was just rock salt," Alicia answered. "Now, can we help the Winchesters?"

Bobby gave her one last look - they would be talking later about her tone - then he glanced at the Impala, seeing the three passengers in his niece's car. "Aw, d---," he said. He glanced at the unconscious driver. "Just one demon?"

"Just one," Alicia replied, "but there might be more coming."

Bobby glanced at the wreck. "Look, I'll take care of things here. Get them back to the house."

"What if they come back?" Alicia replied.

"I'll be fine," Bobby answered. "Now, get back to the house. And don't forget to salt the doors and windows."

"Bobby, I'm not inept," Alicia said, feeling a little defensive and frustrated.

Bobby sighed, his expression softening. "Sorry," he said. "I know you aren't. Just ... just be careful, okay?"

Alicia nodded. "You, too," she said before heading to her car. She glanced at the small white Devil's Trap symbol above her car door before she got inside the car, closed the door, and pulled away, saying a silent prayer for her uncle's safety.

Dean's eyes fluttered open, his vision blurred. He didn't know where he was, but he knew he was in a lot of pain. "D-did someone get the license plate on that bus that hit us back there?" he asked hoarsely. He grunted in pain. "Where's an Advil when you need one?"

Alicia smiled a little. "Don't worry," she said as she drove down the asphalt road, her guard up, keeping her eyes peeled for anything. "I'll get you some stuff that'll help soon enough." She glanced at his chest, worried about the wound near his heart. "Just stay with me, okay?" She looked over as Dean closed his eyes, slipping back into unconsciousness.

- - - -

_One hour later ..._

Sam awoke and immediately winced in pain. He grunted softly as he tried to move; his entire body hurt, but he forced himself to sit up as he clutched his side. He found himself on a familiar plaid couch, bandages on his face and arms, but there was no one in sight.

"Bobby?" he called out. Nothing. "Bobby!" Alicia walked into the living room, carrying a tray with a bunch of different containers on it and a glass of water. Sam raised an eyebrow, recognizing her. "You."

"Glad to see you're awake," Alicia said, smiling as she brought the tray over and set it down on a nearby stack of books. "How you feeling?"

"Like I was in a car hit by a truck," Sam replied honestly. He suddenly remembered his brother and father. "Dad, Dean." He quickly stood up and immediately regretted it; he winced and felt his legs shaking.

Alicia hurried over and put an arm around his waist. "Easy," she said as she helped him sit down. "Take it easy."

"Where are my brother and father?" Sam asked as he shifted into a more comfortable position.

"They're upstairs resting," Alicia said as she grabbed the glass of water and a couple of pills from one of the container. "They're a banged up pretty bad, especially your brother, but they're gonna be fine; Bobby's taking care of them." She gave him her most sincere expression. "Trust me, Sam. They're going to be okay, but they need their rest."

Sam looked hesitant, but this young woman had saved his life – and the lives of his brother and father; he figured she could be trusted – especially if Bobby seemed to know her. He nodded. "Okay," he replied. He tilted his head, a little confused. "How do you know me?"

"Deduction," Alicia replied. "You're John's sons, and since you asked about Dean, that means you have to be Sam." She handed him the pills and glass. "Here, this should help with the pain."

"Thanks," Sam replied, downing the pills and water, thinking about her logic; it made sense, but there was still something bothering him as he handed her the glass back. "Uh, I don't mean to be rude, but who are you?"

"I'm Alicia," the young woman replied. "Alicia Singer." She saw Sam's eyebrow rise. "I'm Bobby's niece."

"He never told us he had a niece," Sam said. He chuckled slightly. "He never told us he had any family, actually."

Alicia shrugged. "I'm not usually here," she said.

"Well, it was pretty lucky for us you were," Sam replied. He glanced over at the young woman. His mind was fuzzy about everything between the crash and when he had just woken up a few minutes ago, and even though he could have sworn it was Alicia who had helped fight the demon, but he wasn't completely sure, and he didn't want to reveal anything about their lifestyle if she didn't know. "That was you, right?"

Alicia nodded. "I was on my way back from a hunt," she replied. She winced a little, feeling the bruises on her from the fight.

"You're hurt," Sam replied.

"I'll be fine," Alicia reassured him. "It'll take more than one demon to keep me off my feet," she chuckled a little, "even if it threw me into a windshield and shot me with rock salt." Sam stared at her, and the young woman chuckled. "Sam, I know it was a demon possessing that driver. You don't remember shooting it to help me?"

"My mind's a little fuzzy," Sam admitted. He hesitated, remembering a few other things. "Hey, uh, this is going to sound weird, but do you know Latin?"

Alicia nodded. "Yeah," she replied. "That wasn't a normal exorcism recitation, by the way; it doesn't send the demon back to Hell, but it works in a pinch."

Sam smiled a little, amazed. He wanted to ask her about the gun flying into her hand, but he decided to save that for later; he was tired, but he tried to hide it. "You're a hunter," he said softly.

Alicia nodded. "Yeah," she replied.

"Thank you," Sam said sincerely.

Alicia smiled and nodded, seeing how exhausted Sam looked, even if he was trying to hide it. "Look, it's late. Why don't you get some rest?"

Sam shook his head. "I'm not tired," he replied before yawning.

Alicia hid a smile. "Why don't you get comfortable?" she suggested. "I need to go give some stuff to Bobby, but I'll be back with a few pillows and a blanket." She got up and grabbed the tray before heading up the stairs.

Sam stayed on the couch as Alicia disappeared from sight; after a few seconds he slowly got up. He grunted softly, but he steadied himself and slowly headed for the stairs. He reached the bottom and looked up, and he groaned; it seemed endless, but his brother and father were at the top, and he wasn't going to let anything get in his way. He took a deep breath and slowly started up, gripping the rail. He was about halfway to the top when –

"What do you think you're doing?" Sam looked up and saw Bobby standing at the top of the stairs, looking down at the young man sternly, arms folded. Sam sighed.

"Look, Bobby," he said, "I know what you're thinking, but -"

"I doubt it, boy," Bobby interrupted, "because right now I'm thinkin' that I'd like to take my belt off and give you what's what. Alicia told you to stay put; you're injured."

"I want to see Dean and my father," Sam replied, trying to ignore Bobby's threat. It wasn't that he didn't believe Bobby wouldn't follow through with it; Sam knew he would.

When John had dropped the brothers off at Bobby's years ago while he went on a particularly dangerous hunt, Sam and Dean had had a major scuffle about … well, Sam couldn't remember what it was about, to be honest. All he really remembered was that Bobby saw fit to make sure the brothers saw the error of their ways … and have a difficult time sitting comfortably for a couple of days. No, Sam knew Bobby would follow through with his threat, but he didn't care; he wanted to see his family.

Bobby could see Sam's determination, and while he didn't agree with the young hunter's current defiance, he could understand it; he sighed and nodded. "Okay," he said. "Come on, Sam." He helped the young man up the stairs and down the hall to one of the two guest rooms, the one Dean and Sam used to share when they stayed there. He opened the door and stood aside to let Sam in. The hunter slowly walked in and sucked in his breath.

His father and brother were laying in the two twin beds, unconscious, stripped down to their boxers, with a variety of cuts, bruises, and bandages on their arms, legs, and faces. Dean has a huge bandage on his chest from where The Demon hurt him, and Sam felt anger welling up inside of him. Alicia was sitting on the edge of Dean's bed, applying some sort of pasty concoction to his chest, speaking softly to him; the tray of containers was on the nightstand between the beds.

"What are you doing to him?" Sam asked as he walked over, worried.

Alicia looked up, startled. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

Bobby nodded. "It's okay, Ally," he said.

Alicia raised an eyebrow, but she nodded back. She went back to work on Dean. "It's a paste of Cherry Plum, Clematis, Impatiens, Rock Rose, Star of Bethlehem, Acacia, and Angelica Rose," she explained softly as she dabbed more paste onto Dean's chest, "and my own secret ingredients; it has powerful regenerative properties." She glanced up briefly at him, smiling. "I put some on your wounds while you were out; you'll feel a whole lot better in the morning, but you'll probably still be a little sore." She spoke some inaudible words to Dean as she dabbed some oil on his forehead and hands, repeating the words over and over again.

"What are you saying?" Sam asked.

"It's a small incantation for healing severe injuries," Alicia answered as she checked the bandages.

"Is he dying?" Sam asked, fear in his voice.

"He was in pretty bad shape," Bobby answered honestly. "He had a really bad concussion, a broken nose, some broken ribs, that chest wound, internal bleedin', and countless bruises and cuts."

"But this should heal him up just fine," Alicia replied, wiping her hands with a small towel before standing up. "Despite his massive injuries, he has a strong spirit. He's not giving up." She smiled at Sam. "That helps."

"And my father?" Sam asked, looking over at John.

"John wasn't injured as bad as Dean," Bobby said. "Just some bad bruises, his right wrist is sprained, and he's got a bullet hole in his leg, but he's gonna be fine, too." He glanced at the young man, wanting to know what happened, but it was late. "Sam, take the bed in the other guest room. It's late, and you look like you're about ready to keel over."

Sam shook his head. "I want to stay with them."

"That wasn't a request," Bobby said sternly.

"Sam, please," Alicia spoke up. "They're going to be fine, but they need their rest, and so do you. You're not going to be good to anyone if you're dead on your feet."

"What about the Colt?" Sam asked. "What if The Demon comes here?"

"The Colt's in my room," Bobby answered, "and Ally's salted all the doors and windows. Trust us, nothin's gettin' in this place."

Sam didn't look convinced, but he knew he wouldn't win this argument; he sighed and nodded. "Okay," he replied. He let Bobby lead him out of the room while Alicia cleaned up. The two walked across the hall to the other room, and Bobby let Sam in.

"Now, you know where the bathroom is," Bobby said. He pointed to the duffle bag on the bed. "Your things are right there. You need any help changin'?"

"No," Sam said, shaking his head. He watched Bobby leave, and he couldn't help himself. "Hey, uh, Bobby?" Bobby stopped and turned around. "Why didn't you tell us about Alicia?"

"Get some sleep, Sam," Bobby replied. He turned to leave again.

Sam knew that Bobby was hiding something, but he was too tired at the moment to really care. He sighed. "Bobby?" Bobby turned around again. "Thanks." Bobby nodded and smiled a little before leaving, closing the door. Sam sighed again, thinking about how crazy the night had been, then he shook his head and slowly walked over to his bag to get ready for bed.

- - - -

Alicia was in her room, and she had just stripped down to her black sports bra and matching boy shorts, wincing with every move. She picked up her clothes and walked over to her hamper, making a mental note to do laundry in the morning. She then walked over to her full length mirror and examined her body; she could see the bruises on her side, and the chest wound above her bra where she had been shot. She sighed.

"Oh, well," she said. "It could have been a lot worse." She heard Bobby's footsteps approaching. "Come in, Bobby." The door opened, and Bobby walked in, carrying a few extra pillows and a first aid kit. "Hey."

"Hey," Bobby said as he closed the door behind him. He saw her bruises and wound, and he raised his eyebrow. "You're fine, huh?"

"They'll all be gone in the morning," Alicia replied. "You know that." She winced as she walked over to the bed and slowly sat down.

"I know you're stubborn," Bobby said as he walked over and put the pillows behind her, then he sat beside her and opened the kit, pulling out some antiseptic and handing it to the young woman. She started cleaning her wound while he took a tube of his own homemade concoction (worked like Ben Gay but didn't stink) and put some on her shoulders and arms, rubbing the ointment in.

"Thanks," Alicia replied, even though it hurt.

"You're welcome," Bobby replied. He sighed. "We need to talk."

"About …?"

"About your attitude," Bobby answered. Alicia looked at him. "Don't look innocent, Ally. You had a little bit of an attitude when you called me earlier."

"I was thrown into a windshield and shot," Alicia said, slightly annoyed. "I'm sorry if I wasn't all nicey nice on the phone; it was a battlefield request."

"I understand that, honey," Bobby replied, "and I love you, but remember: I'm still your uncle, and I expect to be treated with respect. I ain't below you to be ordered around, okay?"

Alicia opened her mouth, but she stopped. She knew he was right, and she sighed, smiling a little. "Understood," she replied.

Bobby smiled and leaned over to kiss her cheek, hugging her gently. "Now, get some rest, okay?" Alicia nodded and carefully got under the covers, and Bobby leaned over one last time to kiss her forehead. "Glad to have you home again."

"It's good to be home," Alicia smiled. She watched her uncle head to the door. "Bobby?" He turned around. "What are we going to do about Sam and Dean?"

Bobby knew what she was talking about, and he wasn't sure himself, but he smiled. "We'll figure somethin' out, okay?" he asked. "If John was okay with it, then I have a feelin' they'll be as well." He flipped off the light switch. "Goodnight, sweetie."

Alicia smiled and slowly shifted under her covers, getting comfortable. "Goodnight, Bobby." She settled in and closed her eyes. Bobby watched her for a few seconds before closing the door. 

(End of Chapter 2)


	3. Chapter 3

- - - - 

The next morning, Dean slowly opened his eyes. Sunlight streamed in through the single window, and he blinked repeatedly, his eyes adjusting to the light. After a few seconds, he tried to sit up – and winced, his muscles stiff, his joints cracking. He suddenly felt like he was a hundred as he slowly rubbed his head.

"Son of a …," he muttered. He finally noticed his surroundings, recognizing the room, and he knew he was in one of the guest rooms at Bobby's place, dressed only in his boxers. The young hunter was a little confused. The last thing he remembered clearly was laying on the floor of that cabin after The Demon attacked him. The next thing – and even that was fuzzy – was being in the Impala, and then … nothing. How did he wind up at Bobby's place? More importantly, where were his brother and father?

The young hunter glanced down at his chest, seeing the massive bandage. He lightly fingered it, but his chest wasn't hurting – just a little tender. He carefully pulled back the bandages and saw the wound had completely healed. Dean furrowed his eyebrows; now he was really confused. He glanced at his arms and hands, seeing a few faded bruises, but nothing else. He felt his face, but there was nothing out of the ordinary, except for his nose being a little tender. What was going on? How long had he been out?

Not wanting to sit around and wait for the answers, Dean threw back covers of his bed, and swung his feet out. He winced, not from pain but from stiffness. He didn't care about his attire – he wasn't really modest to begin with - as he slowly got to his feet. He crossed the room to the door and opened it, heading into the hall. He was about to head down the stairs when the door at the far end of the hall – a door that Bobby had repeatedly told him and Sam was off limits – opened.

Dean's eyes bugged when he saw a young blonde woman emerge. She wore only a black sports bra and matching boy shorts, her hair mussed. She was skinny – but not too skinny – and she was toned, like she worked out on a regular basis. Dean watched with a smirk as she padded into the hallway, yawning. She seemed to ignore him as she made her way into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

"Dude, no wonder why he said that room was off limits," he muttered. "He was keeping a hot chick in there." He felt a little annoyed that he'd been tricked by Bobby, wondering if the older hunter was some kind of dirty old perv; she was way too young for him. Dean forgot about his brother and father as he walked over to the bathroom door; he pressed his ear against it, leaning in, listening. He heard running water, and he grinned, thinking she might be taking a shower; he did his best to picture her naked – and he liked what he was seeing. "Oh, yeah." Suddenly, the door opened, and Dean yelped as he fell forward, landing on the hard tile of the floor.

"Son of a b----," he muttered. He stopped short when he saw a pair of manicured feet next to him. He looked up, following the feet to the smooth ankles, the tapered legs barely covered by the black shorts, the cute little belly button, the perky … double whammy, the muscularly-toned arms, the neck, to the tilted head with an amused expression, a toothbrush sticking out of her mouth.

"Can you hear okay over the water?" she mumbled around the mouthful of toothpaste.

Dean chuckled nervously, smiling, trying to appear as less of an idiot as possible – which was pretty hard when he was at the feet of a drop-dead gorgeous girl in barely anything … and he knew she knew what he had been doing. He glanced over at the sink and saw the running water – and his smile faded.

"Uh …," he said slowly. "I, uh … I wasn't doing what you thought I was doing."

"That's a relief," the young woman replied, "because I hate people spying on me." She smiled brightly before going back to the sink to finish brushing her teeth. She bent over slightly, and Dean couldn't help but eye the goods, and a small appreciative smile started creeping up on his face, but he caught the young woman looking at him through the mirror, and his smile quickly faded; he looked away, suddenly finding more interest in his feet. He kept his eyes adverted, listening until the sound of the water stopped; he looked over and saw her patting her face with a towel, like she had just washed her face.

"So, how are you feeling?" she asked. The question confused Dean for a moment, and he stared at her, dumbfounded. "You were attacked by The Demon and then involved in a car wreck."

Everything suddenly came back to Dean, and his eyes widened. "Oh, d---," he muttered, turning and leaving the bathroom. "Sam! Dad!" He forgot about the girl and rushed down the stairs to the living room; he didn't see anyone in the living room, so he hurried to the kitchen. "Sam! Dad!" He stopped short when he saw his brother and father – both alive and looking well – sitting at the table with Bobby; all three of them were drinking coffee and dressed for the day.

"Dean," Sam said, looking relieved, "you're awake. How you feeling?"

"Confused as h---," Dean replied. "Last thing I remembered was getting attacked by The Demon, then we're in the car, and then …," he sighed. "How long was I out?"

"Only one night," John answered.

"Impossible," Dean replied. "I had a gaping wound in my chest, you were shot, and we were in a bad car accident – I think. There is no way in h--- we could all be better in less than one day."

"Obviously, he's not a believer of supernatural restoration," Alicia said as she walked into the kitchen, smiling.

"And her," Dean said, not missing a beat as he pointed to the young woman. "All these years, Bobby's told us not to go into that room at the end of the hall, and this entire time he's been keeping a hot chick in there." He glared at Bobby, looking disgusted. "She's young enough to be your daughter, Bobby." Sam snorted, and Dean could see he was turning red, trying not to laugh. Even his father and Bobby looked amused, and this annoyed Dean. "What?"

"This 'hot chick,'" Alicia replied, smiling forcefully as she folded her arms, "who has a name – which is Alicia, by the way - is Bobby's niece."

Dean snorted, not believing her. "You're his," he jerked his thumb at Bobby, "niece?" Alicia nodded. He looked over at Bobby, Sam, and John, and they looked dead serious; Dean's smile disappeared. "She's not kidding, is she?" The trio shook their heads, and Dean glanced at Alicia, and he smiled again. "Well, you sure as h didn't get your looks from your uncle."

"Watch it, boy," Bobby said sternly.

"Okay, so what about the accident?" Dean asked, changing the subject. "I mean, do we gotta worry about the cops?"

"No," Bobby replied. "I heard on the scanner a couple hours ago the cops believe it was a hit and run, but since the driver can't remember any details, they have no leads. They did stop by this morning, though. Asked a few questions," he glanced at Alicia, "and they looked at your car, Ally."

"Used it as a decoy?" Alicia asked, smiling.

"Yup," Bobby replied. "Hid the Impala in the salvage yard; they didn't even bother looking for it. Explained that we had an argument, and you took your anger out on the car."

"What happened to your car?" Dean asked.

"Came to investigate the crash," Alicia explained, "and the lovely SOB demon flipped my car eight times – with me in it. It better be d--- lucky it didn't destroy it – or I would have killed its a-- on the spot."

"What kind of car?" Dean asked, thinking about some late model Ford Mustang convertible or something similar.

"'69 GTO," Alicia replied. She narrowed her eyes, remembering the damage done to her car. "With a few dents … and broken headlights … and an axle that needs realignment." She normally wouldn't get upset, but the demon damaged her baby – and that really ticked her off.

Sam raised his eyebrows at the young woman. It was like watching Dean after someone messed with the Impala. "How's the truck driver?" he quickly asked Bobby, changing the subject before he became too rattled by the thought of a female version of Dean existing.

"He's gonna be okay," Bobby answered. "No injuries, and he's not gonna be charged with anything, so that's good."

"Yeah," Alicia replied, slightly distracted. She suddenly turned and past Dean and walked over to the counter where the coffeemaker sat, a fresh pot of coffee just brewed.

"Ooh, coffee," Dean said, watching as the young woman grabbed a mug from the nearby cabinet. He breathed in the aroma and smiled. "Hey, Ally, fix me a cup, too. I like a little sugar, no cream."

Alicia stopped and turned around, her eyebrows furrowed. "Do I look like your personal waitress?" she asked. Dean opened his mouth, but Alicia held up a hand, stopping him. "Look, that chauvinist attitude might work with some empty-headed bimbos, but I'm not one of them. You want coffee – get it yourself." She turned around and went back to fixing her coffee.

Dean stared at the young woman incredulously. He looked at his brother, and Sam was grinning, along with Bobby and John. It was the same as when Missouri had chewed him out: he was being made to look like an a--. He frowned, hating to be embarrassed, then he turned around, intending to give Alicia a piece of his mind when she turned around, holding a mug of coffee, smiling at Sam.

"How are you doing, Sam?" she asked before sipping her drink.

"Much better, thanks," Sam replied, trying not to blush or stare at the young woman below the neck. He knew he shouldn't be embarrassed by her lack of attire; he had seem some pretty odd things since starting Stanford – and Alicia was definitely not embarrassed by her lack of attire – but there was still something … different about this situation; he just couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Alicia smiled. "I'm glad," she replied. She turned to John, her smile growing. "Well, I guess by the fact that you're here and Bobby's not aiming a shotgun at you, then I guess things are okay." She walked over to the table as John, also smiling, got up. To the surprise of both the brothers, the two hugged, and John kissed her cheek. "It's good to see you again, John."

"Good to see you, too, Alicia," the elder hunter replied.

"Whoa, whoa, hold the phone," Dean replied, getting his voice back. "Dad, you know her?"

"Yeah," John answered. "I've known her since she was thirteen."

"Yeah, well, she sure as h--- doesn't look thirteen anymore," Dean replied angrily, "which means you've kept this a secret for, what, nine, ten years? I wanna know why." He was glad that his brother looked just as upset about this sudden surprise.

"Because it's complicated," Bobby spoke up. He sighed, looking at Alicia. "Ally, maybe you should tell them, now."

"Tell us what?" Sam asked. He wondered if this had anything to do with his feeling about Alicia being different.

Alicia nodded and put her mug down on the table. She looked around, her eyes settling on the mug in front of Sam. "You done with your mug, Sam?" she asked.

"Uh … yeah," Sam replied slowly. "Why?"

Alicia tilted her head as she stared at the empty mug. After a few seconds, the mug started floating in the air. The brothers watched in shock as the mug slowly moved through the air, landing softly in the sink, then they slowly looked at each other before staring at Alicia.

"Son of a b----," Dean said softly. "Another one."

"You're telekinetic," Sam whispered. Alicia nodded. "Does that mean … I mean, was your mother ….?"

"When I was six months old," Alicia replied softly, knowing what he was asking. "February 2, 1984."

Sam was floored. This was the first person since Max that he had met with a special ability, someone who could finally understand what it felt like to be different. That must have been what he had sensed about Alicia; she was different … just like he was. "So, I guess your telekinesis started last year, too?" he asked.

Alicia nodded. "Yeah, it first emerged on my birthday," she replied. She shrugged. "Took me a while to control it, but when I did …." She shrugged as she trailed off. "What's yours?"

"Uh … visions," Sam replied, staring at her in awe, smiling a little. "Premonitions, really." He furrowed his eyebrows, suddenly remembering his earlier visions with Max … and little Rosie; both of them were connected to The Demon. Why hadn't he had any visions about Alicia?

Dean glanced over at his brother and saw Sam's confused expression; he furrowed his eyebrows. "What is it, Sam?" he asked.

Sam shook his head slightly. "Nothing," he replied. He looked back at Alicia, and he titled his head, noticing something else that was different about the young woman. "Your eyes," he said.

"What?" Alicia asked.

"They're different," Sam replied. He was a little confused why he hadn't noticed them before, but he chalked it up to stress and fatigue.

Dean furrowed his eyebrows, then he looked at Alicia and saw that his brother was right. Alicia's left eye was blue, but her right eye was brown. "Huh," he said. "Well, that's something new." He tried to sound indifferent, shrug it off like it was nothing, but inside was a little annoyed with himself he hadn't noticed them earlier; he usually noticed details.

"I was born this way," Alicia replied.

"Well, I think they're kinda cool," Dean replied as he fixed his own cup of coffee. "A little weird but cool."

"Thanks," Alicia said, smiling; she suddenly looked confused. "I think."

"If she's one of the children The Demon talked about," Sam spoke up, getting back on subject, looking at John, "then why didn't you tell us? We're all connected to this thing, who has plan for all the kids with abilities – which includes Alicia and myself – and we have no idea what that plan is." He didn't mean to sound frustrated, but he was. He was mad at Bobby and his father for keeping Alicia a secret, and he could see his brother was as well.

"Sam, there was a very good reason we did what we did," John replied.

"Dad, that's a bunch of bull," Dean said. "Sam and I have done a lot of stuff that had good reason, but you never seemed to think it was okay, so why should we think it's okay for you to do the same thing?"

"Because we were respecting her father's wishes," John answered calmly, trying not to get mad at his son; he knew Dean had a good point, and if their positions were reversed, John'd probably act the same way – but he hated his son's tone.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"Maybe I should explain," Alicia spoke up. "After The Demon killed my mother, my father – and Bobby – went into super-protective mode. I was trained as a hunter, and they really didn't tell anyone about me." She turned her back to Sam and Dean, lifting her hair out of the way, showing a miniature tattoo on the back of her neck.

"That's a Devil's Trap," Dean said.

Alicia let go of her hair and turned around. "My father's idea," she said. "He had it tattooed there shortly after my mother died; he didn't want to risk The Demon coming after me." She nodded at John. "It took a long time for him to even trust your father around me."

"And even after he did," John finished, "he still wouldn't let me tell you about her."

"So, where's your father, now?" Sam asked.

"He's dead," Alicia replied quietly. "He died when I was seventeen."

"I'm sorry," Sam said.

"How did he die?" Dean asked. Sam elbowed him. "Ow! Sam, I was just asking."

"Maybe she doesn't want to talk about it," Sam retorted.

"Can it," John said sternly.

"He started it," Dean protested.

"He was being disrespectful!" Sam retorted.

"I'm so glad I'm an only child," Alicia smiling softly to Bobby; he chuckled a little.

"I don't care who did what," John replied, frowning at his sons. "Now, both of you sit down and shut up."

"But -" Dean started protesting, but then he saw the look his father was giving him, and he decided it was best not to try arguing with the elder hunter. He grumbled as he sat at the table.

"Ally, maybe you should tell them how your daddy died," Bobby suggested. Alicia looked at him, and he could see a little fear in her eyes, but he nodded reassuringly. After a few seconds, she nodded. She took a deep breath and glanced at the brothers, who looked curiously at her.

"My father was killed by a werewolf," the young woman said softly. "Five years ago."

"I'm sorry," Sam replied sincerely.

"Did you kill it?" Dean asked.

Alicia shook her head. "No," she replied as she walked over to the table and took her mug, sipping it as she headed over to the sink. "There were plenty of opportunities, but we never killed it."

"Okay, now I'm confused," Dean said, frowning. "You have plenty of opportunities to waste the soulless b------ that killed your father – and you don't take it? Why?"

Alicia turned around and looked at the brothers sadly. They didn't know how to believe what they were about to hear. "Because I'm the soulless b------ that killed my father."

(End of Chapter 3)


	4. Chapter 4

- - - - 

"You mean you're a werewolf?" Sam slowly asked. Alicia nodded. The younger Winchester was stunned; no one in their family had dealt with werewolves since Sam and Dean were kids, and now they were staring at one - and no one was searching for a gun. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, letting his thoughts drift to what Alicia must have gone through; it was horrible to think she had been infected, but the worst thing was that she was carrying around all that guilt these past five years. He glanced at Dean, and he saw his brother looked like he wanted to just shrink into the ground, and Sam glanced at his father, thinking about the events of the night before.

_Sammy! It's still alive. It's inside me, I can feel it. You shoot me. You shoot me! You shoot me in the heart, son! Do it now!_

_Sam, don't you do it. Don't you do it._

_You've gotta hurry! I can't hold onto it much longer! You shoot me, son! Shoot me! Son, I'm begging you! We can end this here and now! Sammy!_

_Sam, no._

_You do this! Sammy!! _

The young hunter started thinking about what would have happened if he had shot his father, playing out the possible outcome in his head: he and Dean would be alone, their father would be dead, Sam would spend the rest of his life blaming himself for it, and Dean would probably be blaming Sam as well. He met Alicia's eyes, and he could see himself in her if he had killed his father – he knew enough about guilt from Jessica's death to recognize it in others - and he didn't like what he saw in the young woman's eyes.

Sam glanced briefly at Dean, trying to gauge his brother's expression, and he was surprised that Dean looked so calm. He had expected his older brother to jump from his chair, loudly saying that Alicia needed to be killed, but he was just sitting there, looking pensive, and Sam wondered if Dean's attraction to Alicia had a part in that. He looked back at Alicia, and he could see the young woman looking down, like she was ashamed.

"What happened exactly?" Sam asked gently. "I mean, if you want to tell us." He knew talking sometimes helped, but he was well aware that there were some things too painful to discuss … like Jessica.

Alicia took a deep breath. "Dad and I were resting from coming back from Minnesota after performing an exorcism," she explained. "I was in my room, getting ready for bed." She shook her head. "I didn't even see it coming. One minute, I'm pulling back the sheets of my bed, and the next, a werewolf's crashing through my bedroom window. I tried to grab my gun ... I always kept one near my bed, but it tackled me and pinned me to the floor. I could feel its breath against me ... the stench ... and the drool ... and I was wondering why I was still alive, but before I could react, Dad and Bobby came bursting in, and they opened fire on it; I think they shot off twelve rounds, killing it. We were able to take care of the situation without the police finding out, and we thought that was the end of it ... but ... it wasn't." She paused, biting her bottom lip as she felt tears welling up in her eyes.

"The next night," she continued, "I went to bed early; I wasn't feeling well. My father came in at one point to check on me ... that's the last thing I remembered." Her chin wavered. "The next thing I know, I'm on the floor, wrapped in a blanket ... my shoulder's killing me ... Bobby's holding me, telling me the ambulance is coming ... and I have blood all over my hands." She wiped her cheeks as tears fell before continuing. "Bobby tried to keep me from looking to my side ... but I did ... and that's when I saw my father. He was on the ground; his throat had been ripped out ... and I knew what had happened ... what I had done." She shook her head as she quickly got to her feet. "I'm sorry." She ran out of the kitchen, sobbing.

"I'll take care of her," Bobby said before following his niece.

John watched his friend leave before looking back at his sons. They both looked stunned by what Alicia had told them – and they didn't even know the half of it. "There's more," he said quietly.

"What else could there be?" Dean asked. "She's a werewolf …." He trailed off as he stared at his father, the realization hitting him like a ton of bricks. "And you knew about her all this time."

"I did," John answered.

"Why didn't you tell us about this sooner?" Sam asked accusingly. "Did you think we wouldn't be able to handle it – or that we might kill her?"

"Sammy, at the time you were packing up to leave for Stanford," John answered honestly. "We weren't on very good speaking terms." He shrugged. "We weren't speaking at all, actually."

"And what about me?" Dean asked, angry about what his father might assume about him.

"I was honestly waiting to tell you until we knew for certain what it was," John answered.

"'What it was?'" Dean asked. "Dad, it was a werewolf."

"Not really," John replied. "It was a possessed werewolf. Bobby said that right before he and Dwight – Alicia's father - shot the werewolf, they saw the eyes of the creature; they weren't normal werewolf eyes – they were stark yellow." He watched as Dean and Sam sat up straighter, knowing he really had their attention.

"The Demon," Sam said.

"Yeah," John replied. "Only, we didn't know it at the time. It wasn't until a few years later that Bobby made the connection and started piecing it together – not just with what happened to Alicia but with all the other families affected; it was Bobby who had been able to explain to me what had really happened to your mother."

"Why did it go after her?" Dean asked.

"We don't know," John asked. "Could have been to get her father out of the way, make Alicia an easier target, but that's only a guess."

"Does Bobby know what The Demon plans are for me, Alicia, and the others?" Sam asked.

"No," John replied, but both brothers could sense he was hiding something from them; they just didn't know what, and until they could prove it, they knew it was best just to stay quiet about it.

"What about Alicia?" Dean asked. "I mean, does she know it was The Demon possessing the werewolf in the first place?"

"Yeah," John replied.

"And she's still blaming herself?" Dean asked.

"Dean, she may not have had any control over her actions," Sam replied, "but she was still used to kill her father. Man, of course she's going to blame herself."

"She should blame The Demon, Sam," Dean said angrily. "That's the thing that killed her parents, that killed Mom - that started this whole d--- thing." Dean had seen the supernatural world in black and white for pretty much his entire life, but this last year had been different. With his brother getting a new ability, and then The Demon talking about plans for Sam and all the kids like him – and that seemed to include Alicia, who was infected by a werewolf The Demon had possessed … everything was getting jacked up and confusing. It had been so simple when things were either evil or good … and now that line was gone – and that worried him; if he didn't know what was going on, then he couldn't protect his family.

"Dude, look, I get it," Sam said, trying to stay calm. "I know The Demon is responsible for all of this, okay? I'm just saying that it's only natural for Alicia to want to blame herself. The Demon used her."

"I get that, Sammy," Dean said, "I do. I just want to make sure we're all on the same page here, okay?"

"Okay," Sam replied. He took a deep breath, rubbing his hand over his face tiredly.

"You okay, Sammy?" Dean asked, wondering if Sam was getting a vision.

"I never saw her before," Sam answered quietly.

"Dude, of course you never saw her before," Dean replied. "We just -" He stopped when he realized what Sam was actually talking about; he raised an eyebrow. "You mean, you never have a vision of her?"

Sam shook his head. "No," he replied.

Dean snorted. "Well, I'm kinda glad," he said. "I mean, if you had and you were holding out on me … might have to kick your a." He grinned, but then he saw Sam wasn't joining in, and his smile faded, knowing his joke was ill-timed. "Okay …."

"Why didn't I ever have a vision of her?" Sam asked. "Every time I've had a vision about anything connected to The Demon, we've always run into a kid whose mother died when they were six months old."

"And you never had any visions about Alicia?" John asked, looking at his son curiously. "Ever?" Sam shook his head, and John looked a little surprised.

"What?" Dean asked, noticing his father's expression.

"Nothing," John replied. "Just a little surprised, that's all." Sam and Dean glanced at each other; now they knew their father was hiding something, but they didn't have any proof … and they weren't going to start anything if they didn't have anything to back up their claims.

"What I want to know," Dean said, looking at John, "is why the h you let Ally live when you told us that all werewolves had to be wasted." He was hoping that if his father had a reason for keeping Alicia alive, Dean wouldn't feel so conflicted. "What made her different, Dad?"

"I had my reasons," John replied. He stopped and ran a hand over his face, his expression changing; he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Look, the truth is she only transformed the night her father died – and that was it."

"How's that possible?" Sam asked.

"Did you notice the silver ring Alicia wore on her right hand?" John asked. Sam and Dean nodded. "Pure silver; it releases trace amounts of silver into her. It also has the Wolfsangel symbol engraved into it; Bobby made it for her the day after her father died."

"Provides protection from werewolves," Dean replied. He looked confused. "It can't be that simple … can it?"

"It's not," John said. "Before Bobby and I had our little falling out, I'd stop here for every full moon to help him with Alicia."

"What do you mean 'help?'" Sam asked.

"Alicia would come back here for every lunar cycle," John explained. "Bobby has a reinforced steel cage in his basement that she'd stay in every night during a full moon, just in case the ring stopped working. And even though she never actually transformed, Alicia would always experience the pain of the transformation – all of the pain."

"So, you'd stick her in a cage and just watch her to see if she changes?" Dean asked. John didn't say anything, but Dean recognized the look on his father's face, what John wasn't saying. "You left her in there alone, didn't you? You let her go through all that h--- alone every month for five years." He was stunned by that revelation about his father, angry that he would do something like that.

"If we had gone in there and she'd transformed," John said, "she could have killed us and escaped and killed who knows how many people before some hunter tracked her down and killed her." He could see his sons didn't look convinced. "Believe me, we didn't like doing this, but Alicia understood why we did what we did. She was never angry or hurt by our decision."

"That you know of," Sam replied bitterly.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" John asked, frowning a little.

"It means I know you, Dad," Sam answered, getting to his feet, "and you always have an ulterior motive for what you do. Alicia's connected to The Demon, which, I think, is the only reason why you're keeping her alive. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were planning on using her as bait or something."

John narrowed his eyes as he got to his feet. "I never asked for your opinion about my methods," he said angrily. "Bobby and I were doing what we thought was best without killing her."

"So, you just let her suffer every month while you and Bobby look on," Sam replied. "Oh, yeah, that's so much better for her."

"She wouldn't let us cure her!" John shouted angrily. Dean and Sam stared at their father, not sure they'd heard what he had just shouted.

"What did you just say?" Dean asked.

"Alicia wouldn't let us cure her," John repeated, his voice calmer but still laced with frustration. He couldn't expect his sons to understand the situation the way he did. They didn't know Alicia the way he did; they'd only met her a few hours ago. They only saw her as someone with a special power or a female hunter … or, in Dean's case, just another notch on his belt.

"You're saying there's a cure for lycanthropy?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," John answered. "It's an old obscure German legend Bobby found a few years ago."

"Do you know if it works?" Dean asked.

John shrugged. "No," he answered, "but Alicia won't even give it the time of day, and the only way the cure will work is if the person is willing to try it."

"Why won't she try it?" Dean asked. "Even if it seems like a one in a million chance, why wouldn't she at least try?"

"Because she doesn't feel she deserves it," Sam answered quietly.

"Of course she deserves it," Dean replied.

"Dean, she thinks she killed her father," Sam said. "I don't care how you explain it, but she was the one who transformed and killed her father. She believes she deserves to go through the guilt and pain for the rest of her life instead of being set free from it."

"Thank you, Dr. Phil," Dean replied sarcastically. "The point is, she was infected by The Demon, there's a possible cure out there, and she's ignoring it. Not exactly the smartest move in the world."

"Why don't you go tell her that, then?" Sam suggested, folding his arms.

"I will," Dean replied, getting to his feet. "I bet I can convince to try the cure, and I don't have to be all touchy feely about it; Ally's a hunter – she'll see the logic of it."

"No," John said.

Dean stopped and looked down at his father incredulously. "Excuse me?" he asked.

"You heard me, Dean," John replied. "I don't want you going near her."

"Oh, so all of a sudden you're telling me who I can and can't go near?" Dean asked angrily. "I'm twenty-seven years old, Dad, and I'm getting sick and tired of this psycho drill sergeant crap you're always pulling!" The inner resentment about always being the 'good little soldier' finally surfaced as he stormed out of the kitchen. "Sam was right, you are a jacka--!" They heard him stomp up the stairs, and a few seconds later they heard a door slam.

John glared at Sam, but Sam glared right back at him as he got to his feet. He didn't say anything as he walked out of the kitchen, following his brother. The elder hunter shook his head, then slammed his fist through the wall. Pain shot through his hand and arm, and he briefly wondered if he'd broken something, but he quickly pushed it aside, furious at his sons for not understanding or appreciating that he knew what was best – for all of them.

(End of Chapter 4)


	5. Chapter 5

- - - -

Alicia opened the door to her room and headed down the hallway, making her way toward her bathroom, still dressed in her bra and boy shorts. She had spent the past hour in her room with Bobby trying to console her to no avail, and he had finally suggested a hot bath to calm her nerves. The young woman had resisted at first, but after Bobby had left to go take care of some things around the house, Alicia had given in – a good hot bath was one of the few things in her life she enjoyed that didn't involve physical exertion; she smiled and sighed as opened the bathroom door, walking in.

"What the h--- are you doing?!"

Alicia looked over to see Sam, with only a towel around his waist, scrambling across the white and black checkered tiled floor to the bathtub, trying not to lose his towel as he covered himself with the shower curtain.

"I came to take a bath," Alicia replied calmly. She folded her arms, looking a little amused. "Are you okay?"

"Don't you know how to knock?" Sam asked, blushing, embarrassed and a little angry. "I mean, if the door's closed, you knock."

"Well, I'm sorry," Alicia replied, "but I always keep the door closed. I mean, there've never been guests here when I've been here, and this is my bathroom, so …." She shrugged. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Sam said quickly, still hiding behind the curtain. "Now, please leave."

"What is going on in here?" Dean asked as he walked in, dressed in a black shirt, an open maroon button-down shirt, black jeans, and his boots; he wore his watch on his left wrist, and his amulet around his neck. He stopped when he saw his brother hiding behind the shower curtain, and Alicia standing near the sink – still in her underwear. Dean glanced at his brother, wondering if something was going on between the two, but he could see how embarrassed his brother was – and Dean quickly figured out what had happened; he smirked. "Wow, Sammy, you don't waste any time, do you?"

"Dude, she walked in on me!" Sam protested.

"Don't worry, Sam, I didn't see anything," Alicia replied.

"That's not the point!" Sam shouted. "You have no respect for my privacy!" He pointed to Dean. "You're just like him!"

"Hey!" Alicia protested, insulted. "I am not like your brother! I do not go around listening to other people in the bathroom!"

"Hey!" Dean protested to both of them. "Don't bring me into this!"

"No, you just walk in on them," Sam retorted, ignoring his brother. "Get out!"

"Jeez, if you're going to get so p----- off, then fine – I'm outta here!" Alicia brushed past Dean, heading out the door. "I'll take my bath later!" She slammed the door shut. Dean glanced at Sam, a little concerned. His brother hardly ever blew up like that, unless something was really bothering him.

"Dude, what's going on?" Dean asked.

"She shouldn't have walked in," Sam replied, frustrated.

"Okay, I agree," Dean said, "but no reason to bite her head off."

"Why won't she do it?" Sam asked suddenly. "She has a chance to be cured – and she won't take it."

Dean tilted his head, confused. When had this suddenly become about Alicia refusing the cure? It only took Dean a few seconds to realize that was why Sam had blown up. This wasn't about Alicia walking in on him – not really; it was about Alicia punishing herself … just like Dean knew Sam did about Jessica. Dean sighed.

"Sammy, look, I get it," he said. "You're mad because she's doing something stupid. I am, too, but I don't think biting her head off is gonna help the situation." He shrugged, smirking. "Unless that's the touchy feely thing you were going for." Sam glared at him, and Dean held up his hands in defense, chuckling. "Just kidding, bro." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, his smile gone. "Seriously, can we not fight with the only person here we're not p----- off at?"

Sam sighed, knowing Dean was right. There was enough fighting going on with them and their father; Sam didn't need to add to it by picking a fight with Alicia. He nodded. "Okay," he said.

"Good," Dean said. "Now, onto something I have to get off my chest; two things, actually."

"What?" Sam asked.

"First of all," Dean answered, "what the h happened to this bathroom?" He glanced around, seeing the bold black and white design, from the tiled checkered floor to the tiled white walls with black diamonds. The cupboards were stark white, along with the sink, toilet, bathtub … even the shower curtain Sam was hiding behind was white. The towels, including the one Sam was using, were all black. "It's like some d checkerboard." He also noticed how clean the whole place was; not a speck of dirt anywhere. "A freakishly clean checkerboard."

"Chess," Sam interjected. Dean gave him a weird look. "It's black and white. Checkers would be black and red."

"Geek," Dean said as he rolled his eyes.

"And there's also this," Sam said as he pulled back the shower curtain and stepped out of the tub, showing his brother the wall behind him. There was a large black queen chess piece tiled into the wall – complete with a set of realistically painted eyes.

"Okay, that's just freaky," Dean replied. "Why would Bobby put this lamea design in here?"

"Something tells me it wasn't him," Sam said, grabbing his shampoo and other bath items he had used and walked over to the counter, putting them in his personal travel bag. "I think Alicia did this."

"Why?" Dean asked. "This place was fine the last time we were here."

"This place had holes in the walls the last time we were here," Sam retorted.

"Yeah, it had character," Dean replied.

Sam chuckled, shaking his head. "What was the other thing you wanted to get off your chest?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah," Dean said slowly. He took a deep breath and put his hand on Sam's shoulder. "You need to have a better sense of timing."

"What?" Sam asked, confused.

"Well, if it'd been me," Dean answered, "I would have 'accidentally' dropped my towel when she'd had walked in."

"Yeah, and scare her to death in the process," Sam retorted, smirking.

"Funny," Dean said sarcastically, smiling. He grabbed a towel and whapped his brother over the head. He turned to leave, and he suddenly felt a sharp sting on his backside. "Ow!" He turned around and saw Sam with a twisted-up towel. "Dude, did you just rat tail me?"

"Uh huh," Sam replied, grinning.

"B----," Dean said.

"Jerk," Sam retorted. The two chuckled as Dean left, closing the door.

- - - -

Alicia sat at her desk, her laptop plugged in and opened to her digital journal; her fingers flew across the keyboard, updating the journal on her latest hunt. She was on the last paragraph when she heard footsteps approaching, and she knew who they belonged to; she sighed, not sure she wanted to talk to them after the fight she had had with Sam.

"What do you want, guys?" she asked without missing a beat in her typing.

"Dude, how could she hear us?" Dean asked.

"I'm a werewolf, remember?" Alicia answered wryly. "I can hear a heartbeat at a hundred feet."

"Oh. Right."

"We just wanna talk, Alicia," Sam spoke up, and the young woman could hear the sincerity in his voice … and the rhythm of his heartbeat and breathing; she knew he was being honest with her.

"Come in," Alicia said. The door opened, and the brothers walked in. They stopped short when they saw the bedroom, raising their eyebrows in surprise.

The walls were a soft blue color, with the ceiling and trim in white. Pushed against the same wall as the door was a queen-sized bed with a white headboard, decorated with pale green and soft blue plaid sheets and pillows; a few matching green and blue pillows and a pale green fleece blanket also decorated the bed. On either side of the bed was a white three-drawer nightstand, each with a single white lamp. The nightstand closest to the door had an alarm clock on it, and the other one had some framed pictures of Alicia with Bobby and two other people who the brothers figured were her parents. Pushed against the wall adjacent to the bed was a white wardrobe, and beside the wardrobe was a free standing full length mirror in a white wooden frame. Across from the bed was a large bay window, with a sitting area decorated with green and blue pillows. Against the fourth wall was the white desk and chair Alicia was sitting on; beside the desk were two four-drawer white filing cabinets. On the other side of the filing cabinets was a white bookshelf, filled with all kinds of supernatural-related books. Nothing was on the floor, out of place, except for the large black duffle bag near the wardrobe; even the wood floor was polished.

"Whoa," Dean said, looking around.

"What?" Alicia asked, not looking up.

"It's like the Twilight Zone in here," Dean answered. Sam elbowed him, but Dean ignored him. "I mean, have you seen the rest of the house?"

"Yep," Alicia replied as she looked over. "That's why this room is the way it is." She noticed Sam was now dressed in a light blue striped button-down shirt, dark blue jeans with holes in the knees, and black boots. She thought briefly about making a snarky comment about him being dressed, but she decided against it; he was attempting civility, and she could as well. "Now, what do you wanna about?"

Sam opened his mouth to talk, but he was still uncomfortable being around Alicia in her current state of attire. He cleared his throat nervously. "Uh, well …" he said slowly.

Alicia sighed and got to her feet, smiling as she headed to her wardrobe. She pulled out a black tank top and a pair of faded blue jeans, and put them on. She turned around, holding out her hands. "You feel more comfortable now, Sam?" she asked.

Sam could see that the young woman was trying to make up for her behavior earlier, and he smiled gratefully. "Yeah, thanks," he said.

"Prude," Dean muttered, disappointed.

"Look, I'm really sorry about walking in on you earlier," Alicia said sincerely. "I'm really not used to having other people around while I'm here."

"It's okay," Sam replied. "I shouldn't have yelled at you the way I did. I'm sorry."

"Okay, that was a Kodak moment," Dean said sarcastically. His eyes fell on Alicia's laptop. "Whatcha working on?" He started over, curious.

"Just updating my hunter's journal," Alicia replied, hurrying over and gently pushing him aside so she could sit at her desk.

"You don't write things down?" Sam asked, coming over.

"Nope, just type it all up," Alicia replied.

"How do you find things when you need to reference something?" Dean asked.

Alicia smiled and typed a few commands, pulling up a funny-looking database. "This," she replied. "It's a database a hacker friend of mine designed. I update it with all my hunts, and then later on I can cross-reference and search for facts I need."

"Hunting in the twenty-first century," Sam mused, smiling. Alicia smiled and nodded.

"So, what were you hunting?" Dean asked, leaning over; Sam leaned over the other side.

"A ghost dog in Pendleton, Oregon," Alicia replied as she went back to her journal and continued typing. "Every year for the past thirty years, people would wind up dead, their bodies mauled. Local authorities thought the killings were the result of bears, wolves, or mountain lions, but wildlife attacks have random patterns, and all the deaths in this area were grouped in this one particular area north of the city. Turned out to be a ghost dog named Charlie."

"Charlie?" Dean asked, snorting. "How freakin' lame is that?"

Alicia chuckled. "Lame name, but he was a vicious son of a b----," she replied. "He killed about sixty people in the past thirty years."

"How did you figure out it was a ghost dog?" Sam asked.

"I talked with some locals who lived in the area at the time the killings started," Alicia explained. "They told me about this owner who had a dog and took him hunting every weekend to where the killings were taking place. The owner was also the first person killed, and I also learned that the he was very abusive toward his dog, and the last time he and Charlie went hunting the owner came back – but Charlie wasn't with him."

"Let me guess," Dean said. "Beat the dog to death and dumped the body, right?"

"Right where all the killings took place," Alicia answered, nodding. "And you know what happens when there's a violent death."

"An angry spirit stays behind," Sam replied.

"Charlie attacked anyone he considered a threat," Alicia continued, "which was anyone who came into his territory." She shrugged. "Of course, not too many people believed that ever happened or that there was a ghost dog, hence the sixty people dying."

"How did you finally stop him?" Sam asked.

"Same as with other spirits," Alicia answered. "Found the bones, salted and burned them." She leaned back and sighed. "The interesting thing was how he acted around me."

"How did he act around you?" Dean asked.

"I guess he was able to sense I was a werewolf," Alicia replied. "He treated me like a dog would treat another dog that entered his territory." She chuckled. "I saw it all the time when stray dogs would come into the salvage yard. Rumsfeld would go ballistic and try to tear the intruder apart." She trailed off, suddenly realizing something. "Speaking of which, where is Rumsfeld?"

"Rumsfeld?" Dean asked slowly.

"My dog," Alicia replied. "Big Rottwieler I haven't seen him since I got back, and he usually comes running as soon as he sees me." Dean glanced at Sam. Alicia obviously didn't know about Meg killing the dog … and they weren't sure how to break it to her. Alicia looked up at them, worried. "Your hearts are racing … what's wrong?"

Sam sighed, knowing he could break the news more gently than Dean could. "Uh … Alicia," he said slowly, "I don't know how to tell you this, but … Rumsfeld died."

"What?" Alicia asked incredulously. "You're lying."

"He's not lying, Ally," Dean said, hating having to give bad news. "Yesterday, there was this demon, and -"

"A demon was here?" Alicia asked, jumping to her feet. "Was it The Demon?"

"No," Sam answered. "It was one of its children. Rumsfeld tried to stop it from coming in." He could see Alicia was on the verge of crying, even as her face contorted in anger; he sighed. "Alicia, we're sorry."

"He didn't even tell me," Alicia said through clenched teeth as she stormed out of her room. The brothers hurried after the young woman, following her down the stairs to the living room; John and Bobby were in there, leaning over Bobby's desk, looking at a book. When the trio came in, the elders quickly closed the book and looked up.

"Ally, what's wrong?" Bobby asked.

"Why didn't you tell me about Rumsfeld?" Alicia demanded.

Bobby sighed and closed his eyes. He couldn't believe that with everything going on, he had forgotten about Rumsfeld, knowing how much Alicia had loved the dog. "Ally, I'm sorry," he said honestly. "I forgot."

"You 'forgot?'" Alicia asked in disbelief. The room shuddered, and the brothers glanced at each other. "A demon killed my dog! How could you forget that?!"

"Ally, calm down," Bobby replied, slowly walking over. "You're right; I shouldn't have forgotten about Rumsfeld, and I'm sorry, but it wasn't intentional." A tear slid down Alicia's cheek before she turned around and stormed out the front door, slamming it shut. Bobby sighed.

"We'll talk to her," Sam replied before he and Dean headed out the front door, following the young woman.

"Maybe we should tell them now instead of waiting," Bobby replied quietly.

"They're not ready," John replied. "You know that, Bobby."

"I know, but you know they're not gonna take it well," Bobby said.

"Well, no one said this was gonna be easy," John replied. Bobby nodded and went back over to the desk as John reopened the book, and they continued reading.

(End of Chapter 5) 


	6. Chapter 6

- - - -

Alicia marched through the salvage yard, too angry to care that she was barefoot in a place with lots of pieces of sharp rusted metal. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she made her way through the junkyard until she came to the crumpled Impala. She stopped short, really getting a look at the mangled vehicle for the first time – and she was shocked.

"Son of a b----," she whispered.

"Aw, man." Alicia turned around to see Sam and Dean approaching, and she sighed, looking back at the car. Dean looked absolutely p about his car, meaning he would be too distracted to talk to her – and right now, that would suit the young woman just fine; she didn't want to talk to anyone. "The son of a b---- killed my car."

"Dean, would you knock it off about the d--- car?" Sam asked. "We came out her for another reason."

"Look, before you guys start on with the comfort bit," Alicia said, "I don't want it, okay?"

"You sure you don't want to talk?" Sam asked. "We'll listen."

"What's there to talk about?" Alicia asked. "The Demon's taken away everyone close to me!" She shook her head, crying. "What did I do to deserve this?!"

Dean felt horrible, seeing Alicia so upset, and he started toward her, but Sam was quicker. The younger brother walked over to Alicia and put his arms around her, hugging her protectively; Alicia responded by leaning into him, clinging to him as she cried into his chest. Dean sighed, mad at Sam (and himself for not being quicker, even though he didn't know what he would have done), and moved over to what was left of his car, pretending to look it over as he listened in.

"It's okay," Sam whispered softly. "You didn't do anything wrong, Alicia."

"Then why does it want me?" Alicia sobbed. "It's not fair!"

"No, it isn't," Sam agreed, thinking back to Jessica. "It's not fair." He held Alicia and let her cry. He couldn't begin to understand what it must be like to lose a pet – he and Dean never had any growing up – but he knew that Alicia had lost both of her parents to The Demon, and then she had found out that one of its children killed her dog. The youngest Winchester knew that Alicia's reaction was a mixture of anger at her family being taken from her … and fear that Bobby – her only family left – might be next.

Sam waited until he heard Alicia's sobs die down, and he pulled back to check on her. "You okay?" he asked. She nodded, and Sam felt unnaturally drawn to the young woman, knowing that he would do anything to keep her safe.

"I'm sorry," Alicia said, wiping her cheeks. "I don't normally get like this around people I barely know."

"Well, if you wanna talk," Sam replied, "we'll be here to listen." He shrugged. "I mean, I know we're not family, but we will be your friends." He was relieved that Alicia smiled a little, and he glanced over at his brother. "Right, Dean?"

"Yeah, sure," Dean answered, trying to look like he was more interested in the Impala. "Man, the frame is completely ruined!"

"You know, it'll take a few weeks," Alicia said as she slowly walked over to stand next to Dean, "but the car can be salvaged; I've seen Bobby fix cars in far worse shape."

"Of course it can be salvaged," Dean said, still frustrated that his own brother was going after Alicia – especially when Sam knew that Dean was interested in her; Dean had flirted with her, after all, so it should have been obvious to anyone with half a brain. "This car is not going on the scrap heap." He walked over to the car and started rummaging around in it.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked, watching his brother.

"Getting the rest of the crap outta the car so I can start working on it," Dean answered.

"Well, I don't think you'll be able to do much today," Alicia said, glancing at the sky toward the west.

"Why not?" Sam asked.

"There's a storm coming," Alicia replied. Sam and Dean stopped and looked at the young woman. She glanced down and saw their worried expressions. "What?"

"Bobby said that to us yesterday," Dean said. "That it had something to do with The Demon."

"Oh," Alicia replied slowly, looking uncomfortable. "Well, I just meant that it's gonna be raining in about five hours; I can smell it." There was an uncomfortable silence as the three shifted a little. "Hey, uh … look, there's a large forest behind the salvage yard. I'm gonna go do some running and other training. You guys wanna join me?"

"No, I wanna work on my car, thanks," Dean replied, his voice laced with edge. "Why don't you go with her, Sammy?" He glared at his brother briefly before sticking his head through one of the broken windows to pull out some debris. Sam and Alicia glanced at each other, and Alicia shrugged.

Sam furrowed his eyebrows. What was with his brother? He knew Dean wouldn't talk when he was acting that way, and it was best to just leave him alone for a while. "Okay," he replied slowly.

"Great," Alicia said, smiling, unaware of Dean's agitation. "We'll be gone for a few hours." Dean waved his hand, ostensibly dismissing them, and the two hunters left, heading toward the back part of the salvage yard.

- - - -

The rest of the day was pretty much uneventful. Sam and Alicia sparred – and Dean worked on the Impala – until it started raining just as Alicia had predicted. The three hurried back to the house, but they were still upset with Bobby and John, so they decided to stay upstairs in Alicia's room. When dinnertime came around, Alicia went downstairs and quickly made dinner (sandwiches, chips, some fruit, and a few beers,) refusing to talk with either Bobby or John at all, then she headed upstairs with the food. The trio spent their dinner in the guest bedroom with the double beds (after Sam had moved his things in, putting John's things in the other guest room,) talking about their hunts and funny stuff that had happened to them as kids; Alicia even managed to tell a few stories about her father. The storm was still raging when they started getting sleepy - around midnight - so Alicia bid the brothers goodnight and left with the dishes, and Sam and Dean got ready for bed.

"Well, it's definitely been an interesting day," Sam said as he unbuttoned his shirt.

"Yeah," Dean replied half-heartedly as he sat on the edge of his bed, sharpening the knife he always kept under his pillow.

"Okay, dude, what is with you?" Sam asked, finally having enough of Dean's surly attitude.

"What?" Dean asked.

"You have been in this … this stupid funk ever since you saw the Impala," Sam replied. "Now, look, I'm sorry about the car, but we're going to stay here while you get it fixed up, so what's the deal?" Dean didn't answer as he went back to his sharpening, and Sam stared at his older brother, and he came to another conclusion. "This isn't about the car, is it?" He racked his brain, trying to figure out what could be causing Dean to be so moody. "Is it about The Demon? Dad?"

"Sam," Dean warned his brother, "drop it."

"No," Sam replied stubbornly "I am not going to be staying in the same room – or the same house - with you while you walk around acting like you've got a stick up your a, and I'm sure no one else in this house will, either."

"Well, you know where the front door is," Dean replied. He didn't see Sam cross the room to yank the sharpening stone and knife from Dean's hands. "Hey!" Dean glared at Sam as he jumped to his feet. "Give 'em back!"

"Not until you tell me what's going on," Sam replied, holding both items high over his head out of Dean's reach.

"Sam, I swear, I'll kick your a-- if you don't give them back!" Dean threatened, reaching as high as he could.

"What is bothering you, Dean?" Sam asked calmly.

"You!" Dean shouted. "You should have backed off! I was the one interested in her!"

Sam furrowed his eyebrows, confused. Who was Dean talking about? It took a few more seconds before Sam had his answer. "It's Alicia," he said. He saw a flash of shock cross Dean's eyes, like Sam had uncovered a dark secret, then he quickly put up his barriers again, glaring at Sam.

"You're crazy," Dean simply said as he walked to his bag and started rummaging, needed to keep busy, hoping Sam would drop it.

"You really like her, don't you?" Sam asked, surprised. As far as Sam knew, Dean had never acted this way around any girl; any talk about them was in the form of bragging rights – unless he had been rejected, then Dean would just brush it off. Even with Cassie, Dean had simply tried to brush his problems aside; he had never exploded like this over any girl, something that Sam found rather shocking.

"What do you care?" Dean asked.

Sam frowned at his brother. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Okay, Poindexter," Dean said, "let's do the math. You get all chummy with her, lend her a shoulder to cry on, and spend the rest of the afternoon getting all sweaty with her. A plus B equals you were trying to bag her for yourself."

"First of all," Sam replied, "it's 'A plus B plus C'."

"I don't give a rat's a-- if it was A plus B plus a pink elephant, Sam," Dean retorted. "That's not the point!"

"Second," Sam continued, trying to ignore his brother's attitude, "I wasn't trying to bag her for myself. I'm not even interested in her; I was just trying to be her friend, that's all."

"Well, you could have fooled me," Dean replied.

Sam sighed, frustrated. "Dean, you know what we talked about when we were sparring?" he asked. "She kept asking me about you."

Dean looked at his brother, a little surprised. "Really?" he asked. Sam nodded, and Dean started to smile, but he stopped himself. "What did you tell her?"

"Not much," Sam replied. "I said if she really wanted to know about you, she should talk to you." Dean looked almost relieved. "Dean, take it from me. The only reason a girl would ask a guy about another guy is if she's interested in that guy; believe me, she's interested in you." He shrugged. "I don't know why, but she is."

"Smarta--," Dean glared at Sam.

Sam smiled a little, glad that things seemed to be returning to normal between them – or as normal as things got. "Look, here's a novel idea: go talk to her."

"That's easy for you to say," Dean replied. "You're a girl, it comes naturally."

Sam ignored the insult. "Fine," he said, "then I'll go talk to her."

"You do that, and I'll kick your a," Dean threatened. "And then I'll give you an Atomic wedgie." Sam chuckled, unimpressed. "Besides, last time I checked, Dad told me to stay away from her, and I'm pretty sure Bobby would back him up."

"And the last time I checked," Sam replied, "someone had finally decided that he was old enough to cross the street all by himself." Dean glanced up at his brother. "Go talk to her, Dean."

Dean looked out the window at the storm raging outside, similar to the storm raging inside him. He did care about Alicia, but he was still conflicted about who she was. She had a psychic ability, just like Sam, but she was also a werewolf. He had been trained to hunt and kill supernatural things – including werewolves – but he knew in his gut that Alicia wasn't evil.

In short, he was all jacked up.

"Okay, fine," Sam said suddenly, heading for the door. "I'm going."

"No!" Dean said, running over and blocking his brother from the door, glaring at him. "I'll do it, okay?" He opened the door and left, closing it.

Sam smirked. "I'm good," he said, proud of himself for duping his brother – it wasn't that hard, but it was still fun to do. He chuckled as he headed back over to his bed, tired and looking forward to getting some rest.

(End of Chapter 6) 


	7. Chapter 7

- - - -

All the lights were off as Alicia sat on her bay window seat, stripped down to a skintight black ZZ Top camisole and matching panties. She stared out the window, watching the storm outside. It had been a long day, and she was tired – especially from all the sparring she had done with Sam – and she wanted nothing more than to take a hot shower, but she didn't dare during a thunderstorm. She knew what happened to someone who had been struck by lightning – it wasn't fun. She was leaning against the window pane, lost in her thoughts, when someone knocked on the door. She looked up, startled; she hadn't heard anyone approaching. Frowning, she got up and walked over to her door, opening it; she was a little surprised to see Dean standing in the hall.

"Hi," she said. "What are you doing here?"

Dean raised his eyebrows, seeing what she was wearing - or what she **wasn't** wearing – and he was momentarily distracted as he glanced downward for a brief second before snapping back to reality. "Uh … can I come in?" he asked.

"Sure," Alicia replied, stepping aside. She waited until he was inside before she closed the door. She glanced down at her attire and for a second thought about grabbing her bathrobe from the back of her chair – especially with the way Dean had looked at her - but she was more curious about why Dean was there. She could sense the elevations in his pulse and breathing and wondered if he was nervous – or something else. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm cool," Dean replied as he turned around. He glanced around the room, noticing the lack of lighting, save for the occasional flash of lightning. "What's with the no lights show?" he asked.

"It's easier to watch a storm when the lights are off," Alicia answered.

"Ah," Dean said, turning around. He stopped short when he saw the ZZ Top logo on Alicia's chest – and the matching logo on her panties. "You like ZZ Top?"

Alicia nodded, smiling. "Best band ever," she replied. "Here." She turned around, showing 'XXX' in white lettering on the back of her panties.

Dean personally liked Led Zeppelin, but he grinned, enjoying the view. "Definitely have good taste," he replied. He looked up as Alicia turned back around, trying to keep his eyes leveled with hers.

"So, what brings you here at midnight?" Alicia asked as she walked back over to the bay window and sat down, hugging her knees close to her. She watched Dean curiously as he came over and sat down beside her.

"No reason," Dean replied, trying to remain cool; he glanced out the window, pretending to watch the storm.

Alicia watched him for a few moments, knowing he was lying, and she had a good idea about his real reason for being there. She sighed and glanced out the window, watching the chaos rage outside. "You're a horrible liar," she finally said after a few seconds.

"Excuse me?" Dean asked as he looked over at her.

"I said you're a horrible liar," Alicia repeated, glancing over at him. "Do I look like I was born yesterday, Dean? You're here for some reason, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out why."

"You think I have an ulterior motive?" Dean scoffed.

"Well, why else would you wanna be in a girl's room after midnight?" Alicia asked.

Dean reflexively went on the defense as he got to his feet, glaring down at her. "You don't even know me!" he shouted. "I could've come here to talk, you ever think about that?"

"Please," Alicia scoffed. "You've been dropping hints all day that you're attracted to me. I know your type, Dean: you're not the first guy to try to get into my pants."

"Mustn't be that hard if you're walking around in your underwear," Dean retorted. Alicia glared and Dean smirked. "See? I can push back, too." He inwardly frowned. _Where the h--- did that come from?_ he wondered. Usually, he would have retorted with some sexual innuendo.

"Okay, Mister Honesty," Alicia said, snapping him back into reality; she stood up and folded her arms, "if you didn't come here to try to get me to sleep with you, then why are you here?"

Dean opened his mouth, but he couldn't think of anything to say. Usually, he was pretty good at being able to smooth-talk his way around most anything, but standing there, looking at her, he couldn't come up with anything to say – and he had no idea why. He closed his mouth, setting his jaw straight as he narrowed his eyes and turned his head to the side.

Alicia smirked, knowing she had gotten him. She folded her arms as she walked over to him. "So," she said coolly as she got close, "what are you gonna do about it?" Dean glanced up, confused, and Alicia almost laughed. "Oh, come on, Dean, I know what happened: you and Sam talked about me, and he told you how I felt, and that's why you're here, right?"

"You sure you're not telepathic, too?" Dean muttered.

"No, but I am curious to see what the famous Dean Winchester is gonna do," Alicia replied, getting a little closer to him. She knew she was egging him on, but she wanted to see what he would do. She had been telling the truth about knowing what kind of guy he was – she had met many like him before – but there was something about Dean's personality that seemed a little … off. He put up a wall, pretending he didn't care, but his body language and his pulse and breathing betrayed him; he was nervous about being there with her.

Normally, the young woman wouldn't be bothered by that, but she wasn't as self-confident as she let on to other people; in her room, standing close to Dean, she was nervous, as well. She had never allowed herself to entertain romantic ideas with anyone because of her job – she didn't want to be that vulnerable with anyone she'd have to eventually leave – but as hard as she had been trying to stop it from happening with Dean … it was happening. She found herself drawn to him, and that frightened her – she barely knew him – but she also found herself a little excited. He was a hunter **and** he knew about her being a werewolf, which eliminated the tension of keeping that secret … and she also sensed a drive in him that was similar to hers. He was on a mission, just like she was, to find The Demon and kill it – and hunting down as many evil things as possible along the way. If Dean had come to her room because he did like her, she was okay with that, but she needed proof. For all her abilities, she just couldn't be sure if it was her or her equipment that drew him; she needed him to make the first move and do … something.

"So, come on, Dean," Alicia said, appearing cool and collected, even as her heart pounded in her ears, "what are you gonna do?"

Dean stared at her for a moment, catching her expression in the flashes of light. She stood close to him, barely brushing against him, looking smug. Dean set his jaw and narrowed his eyes, knowing that she had just challenged him.

Dean Winchester never backed down from a challenge.

He stood there for a few seconds before he firmly grabbed the young woman's arms to keep her in place as he leaned forward slightly, his eyes lowered, lips paused a mere half-inch from her mouth. "You wanna know what I'm gonna do?" he asked, his voice a graveled whisper. She didn't speak, but she didn't have to; her eyes betrayed her. He knew she wanted an answer – and he was going to give her one. He held his position for a few more seconds, silently gauging the electricity that his slow, deliberate baiting was doing to her. He finally gave in to his own want as both of his hands came up to the sides of her cheeks, cradling her face as he leaned over and kissed her.

Alicia closed her eyes, her lips trembling against his, her heart pounding in her chest. The young woman had been wanting – **needing** - this for a long time. She returned the kiss, softly at first, but it soon deepened as she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him to her, wanting to be as close to him as physically possible.

Dean moved his hands down to her waist, wrapping his arms around her. It had been a long time since he had felt this good – felt this safe - and he wanted to hold onto that for as long as possible. He moved his kisses down the side of her neck, brushing his lips against soft skin, smiling a little as he heard her softly moan before she buried her head into his shoulder, panting a little.

Alicia felt herself getting dizzy as Dean moved his kisses down her neck, gently sucking. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, smelling his sweat even under the two layers of shirts, and her nostrils were suddenly flooded with an intoxicating scent. She had been taking in his scent all day, but it had never been as strong as it was at that moment. It was a rich odor, thick with heat, slowly driving the young woman insane. She tugged the maroon shirt down Dean's arms, trying to get closer to his skin to breathe more of him in, and she was glad Dean slipped out his shirt; she heard the fabric fall to the floor, landing softly behind him.

She felt his strong arms wrap around her waist again as Dean continued his relentless assault on her neck. The young woman took another deep breath, reacting to his smell as if it were a drug, and she closed her eyes in primal ecstasy as a small growl rumbled inaudibly in her throat.

Suddenly, her eyes shot open, and she realized what was going on – what was happening to her. She quickly pulled away from Dean, backing up and turning from him, shaking as she panted.

"Ally, what's going on?" Dean said, confused. He noticed that she was trembling, and he immediately became concerned. "Ally, what is it? Did I hurt you?" Alicia slowly shook her head. "Then, what, did I do something wrong?"

"No," Alicia replied softly, "you did nothing wrong." She slowly turned around, and Dean could see the tears in her eyes. "It's me." Dean looked a little confused, and Alicia would have laughed if she hadn't felt so bad. "Dean … I'm a werewolf, remember?"

"Yeah, so?" Dean asked. "It's not like you were planning on sinking your teeth into me, were you?" He started to smile, but he saw how upset Alicia was. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he walked over to her, but she took a step away from him; he stopped.

"No," Alicia said, "I wasn't." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Dean, how much do you know about werewolves?"

"A lot," Dean replied slowly, confused. "Why?"

"Do you know that we have a heightened sense of smell, right?" Alicia asked. "Like other animals, right?"

"Yeah," Dean replied.

"And you know that when they smell certain odors," Alicia continued, "some animals behave in certain ways."

"Okay, with you so far," Dean replied. "I'm still not seeing the problem, Ally."

"Dean, do you know which odor makes werewolves go completely crazy?" Alicia asked.

Dean frowned; he knew the answer, but what was with Twenty Questions? "Yeah," he replied, "I know." There was a deafening silence between them that seemed to even drown out the storm outside, then -

"I think it would be best if you leave," Alicia said softly after a few seconds; she looked away, ashamed.

"You don't really mean that, do you?" he asked softly, more of a statement than a question; it was a risk, yes, that she might really not want him, but he had the sense that she wasn't rejecting him – she was rejecting herself, the very real, very human part of her that wanted something normal.

Now it was Alicia's turn to look confused. "Dean, I nearly lost it," she said softly, one arm across her belly, holding up the other elbow; she rubbed the side and back of her neck, keeping her eyes down, feeling defeated and fighting tears. He didn't move, didn't speak, and the silence was driving her nuts. She almost wished he'd yell, almost wished he'd tell her how sickening she was. Sure, it would hurt to hear it, but at least she'd know what to do with it; his silence was unpredictable, wild as she couldn't allow anything in her life to be, and she didn't have a weapon for it. She couldn't fight the silence, couldn't control it, couldn't compartmentalize it like the rest of her ordered life.

He still didn't move.

She didn't know how much longer she could do this. "I was **smelling** you, Dean, sniffing at you like a d--- dog!" And still, the presence and the silence. "Doesn't that mean anything to you? Doesn't that shock you? How can you not be disgusted with me?" Her voice cracked and faded. "How can you stand to be near me?"

She barely felt him move, but all of a sudden she heard him whisper 'hey.' She suddenly found her chin cradled on his forefinger and thumb as he rasied it. She was so surprised that she actually looked at him with widening eyes – and then found that she couldn't look away. Physically, she could have gotten out of his gentle grip easily, but his eyes held her fast. For once, he wasn't smiling, wasn't sneering; he was more serious than she'd known he could be, and as he started to speak, something deep inside her moved.

"You don't want me to be disgusted by you," Dean said, "you're doing that all by yourself; you think I should be scared of you. Well, you better bet I'm scared - I'm d--- well terrified of what you could do to me in here, and it has **nothing** to do with tearing me apart or turning me. I just met you, and yeah, I don't know everything about you yet, but I do know that you do things to me that no other woman has ever done to me before, and that scares me because I've never come so close to letting a woman totally take the reins, and I've sure as h--- never **wanted** to before! So maybe I don't know you that well, but I know who you are. You think you know me, you assume you can tell me how I feel or how I should feel, but I trust you with Sammy's life and my sanity, and if you don't think that that means something, then **you** don't know **me** at all! So you can retreat, you can draw back into your cage and try to hide, and I can't really stop you, but d-----, Ally, **I'm still here**!"

It was Alicia's move – and she knew exactly what she had to do. She took a small step closer to him, cutting the distance between them by half, and she tentatively reached up to touch his jaw with her fingers. Dean knew by that gesture she wanted to give in, but he still wanted her to say it; they both had to hear it.

"I'm here," she said softly.

Dean brushed his hand along her arm, cupping the outside of her wrist and easing his thumb into her palm, keeping eye contact while he turned his head to kiss her fingers. She stepped back, and he wondered if she had changed her mind, but her eyes were still locked with his as she gently tugged his hand, drawing him toward her bed.

"You're right," she said softly. "You took me by surprise. So, I don't know you. So educate me." By that time she had one knee on the bed, and Dean came to stand before her. Still keeping eye contact with her, he dipped his head to kiss her.

(End of Chapter 7)


	8. Chapter 8

- - - -

The next morning, the sun rose over the horizon, the sky clear with no evidence of the storm the previous night. Inside Alicia's room, the two hunters lay under the sheets, sleeping, with Alicia's head on Dean's chest. Alicia stirred and opened her eyes, breathing deeply and yawning. The young woman shifted, realizing she wasn't alone under the covers; she glanced up and saw Dean sleeping next to her.

Alicia propped herself up on her side to stare at him as he slept. She watched his chest rise and fall in a rhythmic pattern, heard his heart beating softly. His hair was tousled from sleep, and there was slight stubble on his face; a small smile played on his lips. He looked at peace, like there was nothing wrong with the world at the moment, and Alicia allowed herself a small smile, remembering their night together.

To say it had been memorable would have been an understatement. It had been … Alicia couldn't think of any word to describe what had happened last night. Words like amazing, scary, and exciting all came to mind, but none of them seemed to fully describe it. It didn't matter to the young woman – not at the moment, anyway – as she gently nudged the man sleeping beside her.

"Dean, wake up," she said softly. Dean stirred a little, yawning and smacking his lips, but he didn't open his eyes. "Dean, wake up."

Dean groaned. "I don't wanna, Sammy," he mumbled. Alicia grinned; she didn't know why she was in such a playful mood all of a sudden, but she decided to have a little fun with it as she shifted into a sitting position, straddling Dean as she leaned over and kissed him hungrily. Dean's eyes flew open in shock, then he realized it was Alicia on top of him, kissing him - and not his brother; he sighed with relief. "Oh, thank God."

Alicia giggled. "Morning," she said.

Dean smiled. "Morning," he replied. He stretched out under her, sighing as he put his hands on her thighs – and she didn't flinch when he touched her; his smile widened. "Sleep well?"

"When we finally got to sleep, yeah," Alicia replied. "You?"

Dean shrugged, still grinning. "Can't complain," he said. He really had enjoyed their night together, but he was still processing everything – and he couldn't say that to her. Alicia raised an eyebrow and folded her arms, still smiling. Dean sighed and carefully shifted into a sitting position, leaned forward to kiss her, but as soon as their lips brushed, Alicia teasingly pulled back. Dean tried to act annoyed, but he couldn't help but laugh as he put his arms around her waist and pulled her back to him.

"Gotcha," he said softly.

"So, what are you gonna do with me?" Alicia asked.

"Well, I don't think I'll be letting go anytime soon," Dean replied before leaning over and softly kissing her.

"I'm glad," Alicia replied as his arms tightened around her waist, remembering he had said the same thing to her last night before they had fallen asleep. She hoped Dean couldn't see how relieved she felt when she heard the sincerity in his voice. She didn't want to ruin the moment by appearing desperate or clingy in his eyes; she was supposed to be an independent warrior, but she found most of that need for independence – a defense to keep the world at bay - slowly slipping away.

And it didn't scare her.

"So, now what?" Dean asked. He knew it was early, and he'd usually be annoyed, but if he could find something to … distract him, he wouldn't mind.

Alicia leaned over, brushing her lips against his, sending a shiver down Dean's spine. "I do want something," she said softly.

"Oh, God, name it," Dean mumbled, his body growing warm as he felt her breath on his mouth.

"Coffee," Alicia said.

"What?" Dean asked, snapping from his stupor; he looked at her, confused. "Did you say 'coffee'?"

"Cream and a little sugar, please," Alicia replied, smiling. She softly kissed him. "There should also be some blueberry muffins in the cabinet by the fridge; Bobby always gets a dozen before I come home."

"Are you bribing me with food?" Dean asked, amused.

"Is it working?" Alicia asked, a smile playing on her lips.

"Yes," Dean answered without hesitation, grinning.

"Then, yes, I'm bribing you," Alicia replied, grinning back. She kissed him again, thanking him, before she rolled off and lay on her back beside him.

Dean threw back the covers and getting up. He stretched and yawned as best as he could in his jeans and shirt, feeling a little grungy from sleeping in his clothes. He looked around. "Where're my boots?" he asked.

"Over here," Alicia replied, turning on her stomach and leaning over her side of the bed. Dean looked over to see her ZZ Top underwear peeking out from under his maroon shirt – the one he'd given her before they had fallen asleep – and he grinned.

"That is so hot," he muttered. He saw Alicia's head turn to look at him, and Dean's smile almost faded, but he saw Alicia grinning back, right before she tossed him his boots - hard. Dean caught them, feeling the jolt of her throw. "Oof."

"Go," Alicia simply said.

Dean grinned as he balanced and put his boots on before crossing the room to the door and opening it; he stepped out and stopped short when he saw Bobby coming up the stairs. Bobby saw Dean standing in Alicia's doorway and stopped.

"Uh … Bobby," Dean said cheerfully, trying to appear like there was nothing out of the ordinary going on. "How's it going?"

Bobby didn't say anything as he let it sink in. Dean … smiling … coming out of Alicia's room … at sunrise. There was only reason why Dean would be pretending to act so cheerful – which was pointless, because Bobby could see right through it - and the elder hunter narrowed his eyes. "You son of a b----," he growled, "I'm gonna kill you!"

Dean's eyes widened a little as Bobby advanced on him. "Oh, crap," he muttered as he rushed back into Alicia's bedroom, slamming the door shut and locking it; he braced himself against the door as Bobby started pounding on it.

"We got a problem," Dean said to Alicia, who sat up, looking alarmed. "Your uncle's gonna kill me."

"You're d--- right I'm gonna kill you!" Bobby shouted, trying to break the door down. "Unlock this door, Dean! I'm gonna fill your a-- with buckshot!"

"What happened?" Alicia softly asked as got up and walked over.

"Nothing!" Dean protested. "He just saw me coming out of your room."

"What is going on?" John asked.

Dean groaned softly, closing his eyes and muttering under his breath. It was bad enough that Bobby was trying to kill him, but now his own father knew. How could it get any worse?

"Yeah, you're gonna wake the dead, Bobby," Sam added.

_That's how, _Dean thought to himself. "Great," he muttered.

"What's goin' on is I caught Dean comin' out of Alicia's room," Bobby replied to John and Sam.

"Dean!" John shouted. "I told you to stay away from her!" There was more pounding on the door, and the knob rattled violently. "Open this door!"

"You can't tell me what to do!" Dean shouted back.

"Bobby, calm down!" Alicia shouted, hoping to calm her uncle.

"I'll calm down after I wring Dean's neck!" Bobby said. "Now, open the d--- door!"

"No!" Dean and Alicia shouted, both bracing against the door; Alicia even added a small touch of her telekinesis to keep the door from breaking as racked her brain, trying to figure out a possible solution to the problem. It didn't take her long to come to the conclusion that with the way John and Bobby were behaving, it would be best to get Dean out of there so the elder hunters could calm down before doing something they'd later regret. She knew the only other way to get out of the house was the bedroom window – and a fifteen foot drop; Dean would never be able to make that jump without getting injured, no matter how good of an athlete he was. The gears turned in her head as she racked her brain – and she finally had an idea. She glanced at Dean, who looked back at her … and she was surprised to see a touch of fear in his eyes (no doubt from her uncle's threats.)

"Dean, are you crazy?" the young woman suddenly shouted. "You can't do it!"

"Do what?" Dean hissed loudly. "What are you talking about?"

"You wanna get out of here alive?" Alicia replied, keeping her voice low.

"Duh," Dean replied.

"Then just follow my lead, okay?" Alicia asked. She raised her voice to carry over the shouting of the elder hunters as she walked over to her window and opened it. "You can't jump out the window, Dean! You'll break a bone!" She stared at Dean, mouthing 'play along.' Dean furrowed his eyebrows, then he got it; he almost grinned as he walked over.

"I got not choice, Ally!" Dean shouted, trying not to smile. "Your uncle's gonna kill me!"

"And just where do you plan on going after jumping out my window?" Alicia 'demanded.' "That is, if you don't break your legs."

"The woods, maybe," Dean replied. "I should be able to lay low for a while." There was silence, then –

"Dean!" Alicia shouted, acting as if he had just jumped out the window. The two hunters heard footsteps hurrying away from the door, and they listened; nothing. Alicia motioned for Dean to stay away from the window as she leaned over. A few seconds passed, and then the back door flew open and Bobby ran out, carrying a shotgun as he headed for the salvage yard; John followed close behind him.

"Son of a b----," Dean said softly, watching the two hunters disappear. "They actually fell for it." He knew both his father and Bobby were sharp men, not easily fooled.

"Well, in a state of rage," Alicia said as she hurried to her wardrobe and pulled out her jeans, hopping as she put them on, "they're not bound to be thinking straight." She zipped her fly and then grabbed her shoes, putting them on in record time. "Come on, let's go." The two hurried to the door, and Alicia unlocked and opened it; they both stopped when they saw Sam standing there, wearing gray pajama pants and a dark blue t-shirt; his hair was mussed and he looked tired as he stood in the hall, arms folded.

"Sam," Dean said, surprised.

"I knew it," Sam replied.

"What?" Alicia asked.

"That Dean jumping out your window was a load of crap," Sam answered. He noticed that the young woman was wearing his brother's shirt, but he tried to ignore it as he looked back at his brother, irked that Dean couldn't control himself. "You know what, Dean, I -"

"Come on," Alicia said as she grabbed Sam by his arm and started dragging him down the hall. The younger brother sputtered in shock and confusion, not so much by the fact that he was caught off guard, but that this little slip of a girl – who was shorter than his brother - had managed to physically – and with great ease (even though he knew she was a werewolf) - drag him down the hall. He didn't know what was going on as he looked at his brother, pleading for him to help. "Dean!"

"Ally, why are you dragging my brother?" Dean asked, finding it hard not to be amused by that.

Alicia stopped just at the top of the stairs. "Because I don't think it would be wise to have him here when Bobby and your father figure out they were tricked," she replied. "That wouldn't be fair to Sam."

Dean pursed his lips, thinking about that for a second. "Good point," he replied as he headed into the guest room and returned with Sam's shoes; he tossed them to Sam. "Come on; we're going."

"Where?" Sam asked as he quickly put on his shoes. He was very confused by what was going on, but he knew getting out of the way of two very angry hunters came first.

"Anywhere but here," Alicia replied as she hurried down the stairs; the brothers followed. Alicia grabbed her keys from the entry table at the foot of the stairs before opening the front door. The trio made their way down the porch and walked quickly to the dented GTO near Bobby's truck. Dean and Alicia both headed for the driver's seat and stopped; Alicia frowned. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm gonna drive," Dean said, holding out his hand for the keys.

"Like h--- you are," Alicia replied. "This is my car, Dean. I'm the one who's gonna drive." Dean opened his mouth to protest, but Sam cut him off.

"Dean, just get in the d--- car," he said, frowning as he got into the backseat behind the passenger side. Dean glared at his brother, but he walked around the front end and got in the front passenger side as Alicia got behind the wheel. The elder brother frowned and folded his arms, pouting, and the young woman ignored him as she started the car and shifted into drive, peeling away from the house, leaving a cloud of dust and rock behind.

(End of Chapter 8) 


	9. Chapter 9

- - - -

The GTO pulled into the gravel parking lot of the local diner, and the trio got out. Sam and Dean glanced at the bland brown building with huge windows, and they caught glimpse of the large yellow sign over the entrance with 'Flora's Diner' in big black letters. Sam and Dean glanced at each other; Alicia had said nothing about getting breakfast, but they weren't going to argue; they shrugged before following Alicia inside.

The interior of the diner reminded the brothers of a Waffle House, from the open kitchen, stools, white ball lighting, and wood paneling everywhere. The few patrons sat on a couple of stools, hunched over their breakfasts, drinking coffee; a couple of waitresses milled around, wiping down tables. Alicia motioned for Sam and Dean to follow her, and the three headed for a booth in the back; Sam and Dean sat on opposite sides of the table, but Alicia stayed standing.

"I'm gonna go wash my face," she replied.

"Can I take your order before you go, darlin'?" a middle-aged waitress asked as she approached the booth. Alicia turned around, recognizing the voice, and the waitress in turn recognized the young woman; she smiled brightly. "Alicia, sweetie, is that really you?"

"Yeah, it's me, Monica," Alicia replied, smiling. "How are you?"

"Gettin' by, as usual," Monica replied. "How are you? I haven't seen you since," her smile faded, "well, since your daddy died."

Alicia nodded, trying not to show any emotion; she didn't want to talk about her father. "I've been busy," she simply replied.

"Does Bobby know you're here?" Monica asked.

Alicia nodded again; she wasn't in the mood to talk about her uncle. "Yeah, I'm just staying for a couple of days," she replied. She indicated the brothers at the table, careful only to give their first names. "These are some friends of mine, Dean and Sam. Guys, this is Monica Peters." The brothers greeted the waitress politely, and she returned the gesture.

"So, what can I get ya?" Monica asked.

"Uh," Alicia said slowly, thinking. She was starving, a result of her high metabolism ever since being infected, so she was always hungry, especially during the full moon. "I'll take a stack of pancakes with syrup, strawberries, and whipped cream; scrambled eggs; toast with butter and strawberry jam; some sausage links, bacon, and ham; a t-bone steak, medium rare; a fruit plate; and coffee and orange juice." She saw the three people staring at her, eyebrows raised, and she suddenly realized what she had said; she smiled sheepishly and shrugged, trying to appear like she always ordered that much food. "I'm a little hungry." She quickly made her way to the bathroom, her cheeks bright red.

"'A little?'" Monica said. "Girl's got enough food ordered to feed an army." She glanced at the brothers suspiciously. "So, you boys freelancers, too?"

"'Too?'" Sam asked.

"Yeah, Bobby said Alicia started freelancin' in other cities after leavin' five years ago," Monica replied. "Moved around a lot, and only came home once a month."

"Oh, yeah," Dean replied, realizing Monica was talking about Bobby's cover for Alicia. "Uh, yeah, we met Ally … on the road." It **technically** wasn't a lie. "She helped us out of a … jam." Also, not **technically** a lie.

Monica nodded, buying the story. "Well, I hope you two enjoy your stay," she said. "Now, what can I get ya?"

"That t-bone steak sounds good," Dean replied. "I'll have one of those, medium, with hash browns, and coffee."

"And I'll have a BLT with a side of fruit, and some coffee as well," Sam said.

"Okay, I'll get this out as quickly as possible," the waitress said before leaving them. She returned shortly with three mugs and a coffee pot, setting them down on the table before heading off to take care of another table. The brothers went about doctoring their coffee in silence for a few minutes, then -

"So, you and Alicia," Sam suddenly said. He saw Dean raise his eyebrows, trying to feign confusion, but Sam wasn't buying it; he just stared at his brother until Dean finally shrugged.

"I guess," Dean replied before taking a sip of his drink.

"Can I ask you one question?" Sam asked.

"You just did," Dean snarkily replied.

"Couldn't you wait?" Sam asked, ignoring his brother's comment.

"Excuse me?" Dean asked.

"Seriously," Sam replied, keeping his voice low. "Bobby nearly killed Dad last year - threatened to shoot him - remember? You've seen how protective Bobby is of Alicia, and yet you still think it's a smart move to …," he trails off and makes a motion with his free hand, "with her?"

"Why does it matter to you what I do on my own time?" Dean asked, wanting to blow up at his brother, yelling a few choices words in the process. This was the first time Sam had questioned him – but Dean still felt like it was none of Sam's business.

"Honestly, I don't care what you do," Sam replied. "In fact, the way you are sometimes, I don't **want** to know."

"Prude," Dean muttered. "Seriously, dude, you need to get laid and get off my back."

"Okay, that right there," Sam pointed out. "You think it's none of my business what you do? Well, it works both ways, Dean. Don't question me about what I do on my own time."

"You really think I care about what you do when we're not hunting?" Dean asked.

"Well, you keep telling me to find some chick and get laid," Sam replied. "I'd say that's a big yes."

"Fine," Dean said. "I'll stop giving you advice on how not to be an uptight a------." Sam glared at him. "You know what? Out of all the times I've done something like this, why does me being with Ally matter so much to you?"

"Because she's connected to The Demon," Sam replied, making sure his voice was low so the other patrons wouldn't hear. "She's one of the special children, Dean, and The Demon said he has plans for us. We can't risk letting her out of our sight."

"Oh, believe me," Dean said, "that won't be a problem."

"Yeah, I know," Sam retorted, "that's what I'm afraid of." Dean glared at him. "Dude, for as long as I've known you, whenever you see a girl, you start thinking with your downstairs brain, and it was no different with Alicia. I saw the way you looked at her in the kitchen yesterday morning; h---, everyone in the kitchen could practically hear what you were thinking."

"Dude, you have no idea what I was thinking," Dean said, his voice low with edge.

"You only see women in terms of sex, with maybe a little teasing thrown in for good measure," Sam said. Dean just stared at him, and Sam wanted to punch him so badly at that moment for acting like a complete jerk. "Did it ever occur to you that Alicia is not like other girls?"

"Kinda figured that out when she levitated a cup in the kitchen yesterday," Dean replied sarcastically.

"When we were sparring yesterday," Sam said, ignoring his brother, "I found out a lot about her, probably more than you. Did she tell you that she was home schooled all her life, because her father and Bobby didn't want to risk Child Services taking her away because of the tattoo on her neck? Or what about all the times she's felt like an outcast – even as a hunter – because there was no one her age she could really talk to?"

"Actually, she **did** tell me," Dean replied. "Did she tell **you** about the time she tried to kill herself after her father died?"

Sam furrowed his eyebrows, unsure if he had heard his brother correctly. "What?" he asked.

"Yeah," Dean replied, still wired with anger, keeping his voice low. "She told me last night that she tried to kill herself after what happened with her father; slit her wrists and everything. The only thing that stopped her from dying was Bobby finding her on the bathroom floor, blood everywhere, and getting her to the hospital." He looked away as he sipped his coffee.

Sam watched his brother, slightly shocked, and said the first thing that came to mind. "You actually talked to her?" he asked bluntly.

"You make it sound like I don't know how to," Dean said.

"Well, to be honest," Sam replied, "you always come across as someone who hates to talk – even to me."

"Well, you're my brother," Dean said jokingly, "we're not supposed to talk."

"Hilarious," Sam replied, not amused.

"You know," Dean said, "not that it really is any of your business, but Ally and I didn't … I mean, we didn't …," he trailed off and made a motion with his hand, "you know."

"Right," Sam replied, not believing his brother. "Then explain how she ended up wearing your shirt."

"She was cold," Dean replied. "She was only wearing …." He trailed off, deciding not to tell his brother what Alicia had been wearing. "Let's just say she wasn't wearing much."

"So, let me get this straight," Sam said. "You spend all night in a girl's room, with her wearing next to nothing, and you don't have …," he trailed off, blushing a little, "you know. You just … talked?"

"Yeah," Dean answered, still a little mystified himself. He really couldn't explain his actions from the previous night. The closest he had ever come to actually opening up to woman before Alicia was Cassie … and that had completely blown up in his face when he had told her the truth about his family. Dean had vowed that he would never let his guard down with any woman after that … and yet, he had with Alicia – and he didn't know why.

Sam stared at his brother is awe. His brother – Dean Winchester, the lady's man with very little class – showed self-restraint with a girl he was attracted to, and judging by the look on Dean's face, Sam knew that Dean felt just as confused as he did. Even still, Sam couldn't help but smile a little, surprised that Dean hadn't done anything … and a little proud of him, too.

Dean glanced at his brother and saw the goofy grin, and he sighed. "What?" he asked.

"Just a little proud of you," Sam replied.

"Oh, God, are we gonna have to hug, now?" Dean asked, rolling his eyes.

"No," Sam answered, still smiling, "but I think we do need to celebrate you finally growing up."

"B----," Dean replied.

"Jerk," Sam countered, smiling. He glanced at his brother, suddenly very curious about what his brother had talked with Alicia about. "So … what did you two talk about?"

"Hey, sorry about that," Alicia said as she came back to the booth, sitting beside Dean.

"Thank God," Dean muttered. It was one thing to be able to carry on a conversation with a girl – at least with Alicia – but he really didn't want to talk about it with his brother.

"What?" Alicia asked, confused.

"Nothing," Dean replied. He suddenly smiled, playfully. "I didn't know it took so long to wash your face."

"I haven't had a shower in about four days," Alicia replied, smiling. "They weren't the most ideal conditions, but I was able to wash a little more than my face in the bathroom."

"Oh, yeah," Dean's grin grew, "like what?"

"Like my arms and neck," Alicia replied. Dean's grin faded, and Alicia shook her head, amused. Monica soon returned, carrying a tray with their food, and she carefully balanced the tray as she set the plates down – most of which ended up in front of Alicia. The young woman's mouth watered as she grabbed for the ketchup bottle at the same time Dean reached for it; the two hunters quickly pulled back. "You can have it first, Dean."

"No," Dean replied, waving his hand, motioning for her to take the bottle. "Ladies first."

"Okay, who are you, and what have you done with my brother?" Sam asked, amused.

"Hey, I can be a gentleman," Dean said, insulted.

"Since when?" Sam asked.

"Well, to be fair, Sam," Alicia replied as she grabbed the ketchup bottle, "Dean **was** a perfect gentleman last night."

"See?" Dean replied. He watched Alicia open the bottle and drown her steak in ketchup.

"Like a little steak with your ketchup?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Better believe it," Alicia replied before setting the bottle aside, grabbing her knife and fork, and digging into the steak, taking large bites, filling her mouth until her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk with its mouth full of nuts. She glanced up and saw the brothers looking at her, eyebrows raised; she quickly chewed and swallowed, speaking in a low voice. "Look, before you saying anything, in my own defense, my metabolism skyrockets during the full moon," she shrugged, nodding to her plates of food, "and I get a little … ravenous."

"Hey, I have no problem with it," Dean replied as he doctored his steak and hash browns with ketchup before diving in, slurping and smacking with globs of ketchup and grease on his lips; he wiped them away with the sleeve of his shirt.

Sam raised an eyebrow, grimacing in disgust. "Yeah, 'cause you eat like a pig all the time," he finally said. He pointed his fork at Alicia. "At least she's neater than you."

"Hey," Dean protested, food still in his mouth, "I'm not a pig."

"Could have fooled me," Sam replied as he started on his breakfast. He and Dean started bickering about table manners, and the young woman watched and listened, fascinated and amused by the interaction between the two brothers.

(End of Chapter 9)


	10. Chapter 10

- - - -

The sun was high overhead by the time the trio returned to Bobby's place, and even though it was summer and the air was hot and sticky, the temperature suddenly dropped when the GTO rounded the bend, and the trio saw John and Bobby waiting next to the truck, arms folded, looking extremely p----- off. Alicia parked her car in the usual spot, but no one made a move to get out.

"Now what?" Dean asked. He didn't want to make the first move out of the car.

"Well, we can't stay in the car all day," Alicia replied. "Might as well get this over with." She opened her car door and got out - the boys followed – but they stayed near the vehicle … even though Dean did move around to stand beside Alicia – and a little behind her; Sam followed his brother's lead, but he stood next to Alicia and in front of his brother as John and Bobby started over toward them.

"I can't believe you blatantly disobeyed a direct order," John said, glaring at Dean.

"I can't believe you're pulling this crap," Dean replied, glaring right back at his father. "I did nothing wrong!"

"You slept with my niece!" Bobby jumped in, eyes shooting daggers at the older brother.

"So, what if he did?" Alicia asked, frowning. "We're both consenting adults, Bobby; you can't tell us what to do!"

Sam raised an eyebrow at Alicia's comments, wondering why both his brother and Alicia were keeping quiet about the truth about their night together. Even though he knew it was none of his father's or Bobby's business, he at least thought Alicia would have said something in the hopes of trying to calm her uncle down. The youngest Winchester knew he could easily jump in and say nothing had happened between Dean and Alicia, but he also knew that this wasn't really his fight; this was between his brother and Alicia, and his father and Bobby – and Sam wasn't about to get in anyone's way.

"Don't bet on it, young lady," Bobby replied. "You know, you're in trouble as it is."

"For what?" Alicia asked.

"For making us think Dean jumped out the window," John replied. "You had no right to do that."

"Stop talking to me like you're my father, John," Alicia said, her eyes narrowing. She folded her arms and walked over to the eldest Winchester, glaring right up at him. "You know, maybe if you and Bobby," she glared briefly at her uncle, "had acted like rational adults about this whole thing – which is really none of your d--- business, anyway – then maybe we wouldn't have had to trick you."

"You will not talk to me in that tone," John warned.

"Don't threaten me," Alicia replied, not flinching or blinking as she stared right back at John.

"Alicia, I don't know what's gotten into you," Bobby said, "but you will not -"

Alicia jerked her head to the side, glaring at her uncle as a distinctive growl emanated from her throat. Bobby stopped in his tracks, his eyes wide; even John looked at the young woman, startled, but he didn't move. The young woman stayed in her spot, panting and growling softly as she glared at the two men, then she abruptly turned to face the brothers.

"We're going for a walk," she said before heading for the woods. Dean and Sam just stared at her. After a few seconds, she stopped and turned around. "That wasn't a suggestion, guys."

Dean and Sam glanced at each other, eyebrows raised, and they silently debated whether to stay with their father and Bobby – who looked like they were about ready to kill the brothers – or go with a very werewolfish Alicia.

They decided on the latter.

The two brothers hurried after Alicia, glancing behind them to make sure John and Bobby weren't following, and they were relieved to see the two hunters staying near the house. The boys flanked Alicia's sides as the trio marched silently into the woods, the only sounds coming from the sloshing as they stepped on patches of wet ground. After a few minutes, Alicia stopped in the clearing she and Sam had sparred in the day before. The brothers stopped and waited; they didn't know what Alicia was up to, and they figured it would be best to let her make the first move … whatever it might be. But the young woman just stared straight ahead, not moving or making a sound.

Dean glanced over at Sam, a worried look on his face, and Dean could see his brother looked just as concerned. Dean hadn't told Sam about what Alicia had done the previous night, but both hunters knew that any animalistic characteristics – such as growling – exhibited during the daytime meant that the monster was gaining more and more control.

"Ally?" Dean asked as he looked down and saw fear on the young woman's face.

"Please don't ask," Alicia whispered.

"Ask what?" Dean asked.

"If I've ever done that before," Alicia answered. "The answer is no, I haven't." She shook her head, forcing herself not to cry. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, feeling her control returning; she glanced up at the sun, seeing it climb higher into the sky as noon approached. "Look, I'm sorry about ordering you guys back there … we don't have much time." She started walking again.

"It's okay," Sam said as he and Dean followed. "What do you mean 'we don't have much time'?"

"It's gonna be noon soon," Alicia answered, "and even with the wet conditions from the storm last night, toads will be burying themselves and they'll be harder to find."

"Why do you need to find toads?" Dean asked, wondering if she was hungry again.

"Because the cure calls for two toads," Alicia replied, "and the sooner we get all the ingredients, the sooner I can get this done." She continued, but Dean gently grabbed her upper arm and turned her to face him.

"'Get this done?'" he asked. "You mean, you wanna be cured?" Alicia nodded. "When did you change your mind?"

"Last night," Alicia replied, "after you told me I needed to stop punishing myself." Dean looked stupified, and he glanced at his brother, who also looked surprised. "Dean, nearly losing control last night scared me – that hasn't happened since the night I killed my father – and it almost happened today, too."

"Alicia, a growl is hardly losing control," Sam said, even though he knew it wasn't true. He just wanted her to calm her down; she looked absolutely terrified.

"I almost attacked Bobby and your father," Alicia said, unconvinced. "It took every bit of willpower I had not to leap at them – and it was because I was trying to protect you from them - both of you." Tears spilled down her cheeks. "Yeah, I'm mad at them, but I almost attacked my own family … again."

"Hey, come here," Dean said before stepping close to her and wrapping his arms around her as she clung to him and sobbed quietly into his chest. "It's okay, Ally." He smiled a little. "You know, Sammy's attacked our dad before." He chuckled. "He even shot him once." He glanced over at Sam, who glared at him, but Dean shrugged, silently saying 'hey, it was the first thing I could think of.' Sam huffed a little, shaking his head, but he kept quiet.

Alicia pulled back a little, keeping her arms around Dean; the brothers saw her eyes were red from crying. "But you didn't lose control, did you?" she asked the younger brother.

"No," Sam replied, honestly.

"Well, I have," Alicia replied, "and the scary thing is … I don't remember any of it. If I ever did that to Bobby … or even your father," she slowly shook her head, "then I could never forgive myself. I mean, you guys are my friends – the first real friends I've ever had – and I don't want to risk your lives, either."

"Okay," Dean said after a few seconds of silence, still a little surprised by Alicia's revelation – that he had been able to reach her when no one else could. He knew hindsight was twenty-twenty, but it still p at his father and Bobby for keeping this a secret for so long – for letting Alicia suffer for five years. Dean wanted to go slug both of them right then and there, but he forced himself to stay calm and collected; he needed to be the strong one right now. "Look, Ally, we'll get the ingredients, whip everything together, and get on it."

"It's not that easy, Dean," Alicia said. "This cure involves a complicated ritual … and it involves some ingredients Bobby's gonna have to get in another state."

"Like what?" Sam asked.

"Well, I know he doesn't have asafoetida," Alicia replied, "and hypericum … and I **definitely** know he doesn't have any opium."

Dean furrowed his eyebrows. "'Opium?'" he asked. He glanced at his brother and was relieved to see Sam looking just as surprised; Sam apparently didn't know everything.

Alicia chuckled a little at Sam and Dean's expressions; they were very adorable. "Yeah," she replied. "Like I said, it's complicated." She sighed. "But, yeah, Bobby's gonna have to get that stuff elsewhere, and it's too late for him to leave today. Getting the stuff requires a full day's trip, and with tonight being the night of the first full moon, he won't leave for anything."

"And since he's p----- at us right now," Sam said, understanding, "he won't trust us with you alone."

"So, what are we getting again?" Dean asked.

"Well, in addition to the two toads," Alicia replied, "we have to get a mandrake root, a live snake, a fungus, and the sprigs of an ash, white poplar, and birch trees."

"How many freakin' things do we need?" Dean asked incredulously.

"Dean, if this cure was really simple," Alicia replied, "then do you think it would be such an obscure thing?"

"Point taken," Sam asked. "So, you said toads?"

"Yeah," Alicia replied. "There's a place nearby that floods easily after heavy rains, and it's a breeding ground for toads." She turned to Dean. "You know, it would be quicker if you went to get one of the other ingredients while Sam and I start hunting toads."

"I am not going after a snake," Dean replied.

"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of the mandrake root," Alicia said. "And the fungus."

"That's two things," Dean pointed out. "And why can't Sammy get them while I help you hunt toads?" He really wanted to stay with Alicia and keep an eye on her.

"Because I'm asking you nicely," Alicia replied, smiling a little. She stood on her tiptoes and softly kissed Dean's lips before pulling back, pouting a little. "Please?"

Dean almost glared at her, knowing she was using her feminine charms to bribe him – and that it was working; the older brother whined a little, folding his arms. "Fine," he replied. "Where are they?"

"There's a small patch about twenty yards east of here," Alicia replied. "Bobby seeded the area with a bunch of different medicinal plants and herbs, including the mandrake."

"So, how the h--- am I gonna know what to look for?" Dean asked.

"Look for a bunch of leaves about a foot long and about six inches wide," Alicia answered. "The plants, like the leaves, are dark green, and there are small purplish bell-shaped flowers growing on stalks. At this time of the year, you'll be able to see small orange-colored berries that smell like strong apples."

"And the root?" Dean asked.

"It runs about three to four feet into the ground," Alicia replied. "Try to get as much as you can; the cure calls for a whole root. As for the fungus, a handful of wild mushrooms should be fine; after this weather, you should be able to find them easily."

"Pulling roots and gathering mushrooms," Dean muttered as he headed east. "I feel like I'm in freakin' Super Mario Bros."

"I guess that means I'm Luigi, and you're the Princess," Sam said to Alicia.

"Whoa, whoa, hold it," Dean said as he turned around and marched back to the two. "I am not gonna be some short, fat plumber."

"Well, you can't be Luigi," Sam said. "He's taller than Mario, and I'm taller than you."

"And you can't be the Princess," Alicia added, "because I'm the only girl around here."

"That's a matter of opinion," Dean muttered, looking at his brother.

"Well, you could always be Toad," Sam retorted. "Or Yoshi."

"How about I Yoshi your a--?" Dean threatened.

"Okay, okay," Alicia said quickly, holding up her hands, trying not to smile about how ridiculous this argument was getting. "Dean, just be Mario, okay?"

"Why?" Dean replied, still upset.

"Because Mario's the one who **does** get the Princess," Alicia replied.

Dean glanced over and saw Alicia giving him an impish smile. He slowly grinned, getting the context. "Well, if you put it like that," he said, "I can't argue." He turned and headed east again. "Just remember, Ally, a plumber likes to clean pipes - frequently!"

"Oh, Dean," Sam replied, rolling his eyes, "could you **be** any more disgusting?" Dean responded by laughing loudly, and Sam shook his head as he looked down at Alicia. He couldn't believe she was shaking her head and grinning. "You know, you're not helping the situation."

"Sorry," Alicia replied, but they both knew she really wasn't that sorry. Sam huffed and shook his head again, amused in spite of himself, before the two headed in the opposite direction.

"So, why did you really want my brother out of the way?" Sam asked after a few seconds. Alicia glanced over, a little surprised, and Sam chuckled. "You're not the only one who can read people, Alicia."

"Touché," Alicia replied. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "The reason I wanted to get you alone was to see if you're okay with this."

"Hey, what you and Dean do or don't do in your bedroom isn't really my business," Sam replied. "Just please don't tell me about it."

"I mean 'are you okay with us being together?'" Alicia said. "Sam, Dean cares about you – he told me last night – and I know you two have this special brother thing that I'll probably never understand." The young woman shrugged. "I just don't want to come between that; I've already seen enough families torn apart in my life."

"Dean really said he cares about me?" Sam asked, surprised. He knew his brother did care about him, but it was still a little shocking to actually hear Dean had actually confessed it.

Alicia nodded. "Yeah," she said.

Sam smiled and chuckled, then he realized there was a second part of this conversation – something just as important. "You're not gonna get in the way, Alicia," he said to the young woman. "I mean, any woman who can spend the night with my brother without," he shifted and blushed, "you know … is someone I don't mind being with my brother."

Alicia smiled, blushing. "Thank you," she replied.

"No, thank you," Sam said. "I actually have an older brother now instead of a bunch of raging hormones stuffed into that leather jacket."

Alicia chuckled. "Believe me, he's still a horndog," she said.

Sam nodded, amused. "Yeah, I think that's a safe bet," he replied. "Seriously, though, I haven't seen Dean act this way around a girl before. I mean, even with Cassie -" He suddenly stopped and closed his eyes after realizing what he said.

"Sam, it's okay," Alicia reassured him. "Dean told me about her last night. He kinda told me – not in so many words – about all the women he's been with."

"And you're okay with it?" Sam asked.

Alicia shrugged. "I admit I am a little jealous," she answered, "but I also know that it happened before Dean ever knew me, so I really can't make too big a deal out of it." She glanced up at Sam. "So, you're really okay with this?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah," he replied. Alicia smiled, relieved, and Sam was a little surprised – no, a **lot** surprised – to see that what he thought about this whole thing mattered to her. He shouldn't have been too surprised, though, because he knew that Alicia was really close to Bobby – despite their problems at the moment – and she most likely knew about how close Dean and Sam were (despite Dean saying anything to the contrary.) It was only natural for Alicia to feel like she was butting in on their relationship, intruding into something she had no business being a part of, when, in reality, she seemed to fit right in.

"Well, here we are," Alicia said as the two came to another clearing. In contrast to the previous clearing this one looked more like a muddy swamp than a forest clearing.

"Okay, so how do we do this?" Sam asked.

Alicia glanced over, looking a little confused. "You don't know how to catch toads?" she asked. "I thought all boys learned how to catch toads when they were little."

"That's rather sexist, don't you think?" Sam asked, smiling.

Alicia shrugged as she took off her shoes and rolled up the legs of her jeans until they were just below her knees. The young woman slowly crept into the muddy water, hissing a little. "It's cold," she said as she looked around. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and she turned to see a large toad poke its head above the surface of the muddy water about five feet away. Alicia carefully crouched and waited a few seconds – and then she dove at the toad, splashing mud and water everywhere.

Sam raised an eyebrow as he stared at her, covered from head to toe in mud and water. "Did you get it?" he slowly asked.

Alicia shook her head, holding up her hands. "Fast little bugger," she replied. She grinned and wiped some mud from her face as she got to her feet. "Oh, well, if at first you don't succeed …." She trailed off as she spotted another toad nearby. She quickly dove at it, sliding a little as mud and water splashed Sam. He watched as she stood up, once again empty-handed.

"Why don't you use your ability?" Sam asked. "Wouldn't it be easier?"

"Yeah," Alicia replied as she walked over, her eyes dancing, "but it wouldn't be more fun!" She quickly grabbed Sam's hand and pulled him toward her. Sam yelped in surprise as they both tumbled into the muddy water. The young man gasped from the cold as he got to his feet, completely soaked; he wiped his hair from his face, looking at her as she stood up, laughing.

"I can't believe you did that," Sam said, panting. "Did you think that was funny?"

"Yes!" Alicia gasped, doubling over. "You should have seen the look on your face, Sam!"

Sam watched her for a few seconds, a small smile playing on his lips. He slowly knelt down and reached into the water, grabbing a handful of mud. "Hey, Alicia?" he said. Alicia looked over, and Sam threw the mud at her, hitting her right in the face. He laughed as she stood there, stunned, then she slowly wiped the mud from her eyes. "You mean, like that look?"

"Hey, what is going on here?" Alicia and Sam looked over and saw Dean standing nearby, his arms full of one large mandrake root and some mushrooms; he looked positively confused as he stared at the two mud-covered hunters.

"He threw mud at me," Alicia said, pointing to Sam.

"She threw me into the water," Sam retaliated, pointing at Alicia.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Okay, children," he said. "You know, I was hard at work, trying to get this stuff – and it wasn't easy – and you two are playing in the mud?"

"Aw, come on, Dean," Alicia said as she trudged out of the water, walking over to Dean, a sweet smile on her face. "We were only having a little fun."

Dean glanced down and noticed that his wet shirt clung to her body, showing off every one of her curves, and he raised an eyebrow, smiling. "You know," he said, looking up at her, "I am kinda glad to see you have a dirty side, Ally."

"Hey, Dean?" Dean looked over – and a handful of mud splattered his face. Alicia burst out laughing as she looked over to see Sam grinning proudly.

"Nice one, Sam!" she shouted.

"Very funny," Dean said as he used a hand to wipe the mud from his face. He glanced between his brother and Alicia. "So, you think that's funny?" Alicia nodded, still laughing. Dean simply put down the mushrooms and root – and then he grabbed Alicia around her legs and ran into the water, ignoring her shrieks as he tossed her in. The young woman surfaced, gasping and staring at Dean as he grinned down at her, not caring that he was also dirty and wet.

"Hey, I didn't do anything!" Alicia protested, smiling.

"Yeah, and I'm Santa," Dean replied. He pretended to glare at Sam. "And as for you, I'll -" He was interrupted as he and Sam suddenly had their feet being yanked out from under them; they landed in the water with loud splashes, sputtering as they scrambled to their feet. They looked over and saw Alicia doing a victory dance.

"Telekinesis girl, one!" she shouted, her arms over her head. "Winchesters, zero!"

The brothers glanced at each other, not saying or doing anything; they both knew exactly what to do. In one fluid motion, they both rushed the young woman and picked her up, ignoring her shrieks as they playfully spiked her down into the muddy water.

- - - -

"Ally, come on!" Dean shouted as he pounded on the bathroom door; Sam stood nearby, arms folded. They had returned to the house after getting all the ingredients, and Bobby and John were waiting for them. To curb another altercation, the trio had explained about Alicia's decision to try the cure; Bobby and John were surprised, to say the least, but they had managed to sit down and have a somewhat civilized conversation with the trio, working out the plan for next two days. By the time they had finished – hours later – an uneasy truce had been reached between the five; Bobby and John didn't even bring up the incident with Dean and Alicia anymore.

With tension still high in the house, the three young hunters decided to spend the rest of the day upstairs – after getting clean. Out of the kindness of their hearts – and the desire to curb the pungent odor of having not showered for four days – the brothers had let Alicia have first dibs on the bathroom. The young woman had disappeared into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door, and the brothers had figured she wouldn't be more than twenty minutes … then thirty …. After an hour had passed, they had decided to check on her.

"Ally, it's been an hour!" Dean said, pounding on the door. The water wasn't running any more, and Dean was a little concerned, but he heard footsteps padding around in the room, so he figured she was just ignoring him; he pounded again, frustrated.

The door suddenly opened, and Alicia walked out, a large white towel wrapped around her. Her hair was wet and combed out, and she carried a silver Ipod in her right hand; she had earphones in her ears, and she looked oblivious to her surroundings as she belted into song.

"'Shot through the heart, and you're to blame!'" she sang. "'You give love a bad name!'" She headed down the hall past the brothers, oblivious to their presence as she bopped to the music.

Dean and Sam tilted their heads, eyebrows raised, as they watched her head for her room. The young woman opened her door and walked in, telekinetically shutting it behind her. The brothers slowly glanced at each other, and Sam could see Dean was grinning.

"I could definitely get used to that," Dean said. "She's got good form."

Sam huffed and shook his head; his brother never failed to remind Sam about his one-track mind when it came to women. "You wanna take a shower or what?" he asked.

Dean glanced between the bathroom and Alicia's bedroom door, weighing his options: take a nice hot shower and get all the mud and grime off of himself … or check out his girlfriend as she got dressed. It was a difficult choice, but he finally came to the decision that hot water was more important at the moment … and he figured that Alicia probably wouldn't let him step foot in her room looking like Pig Pen. He reluctantly sighed and headed into the bathroom, closing the door.

"I recommend taking a **cold** shower," Sam said loudly.

"Bite me!" Dean replied. Sam chuckled and shook his head as he folded his arms and leaned against the wall, waiting for his turn.

(End of Chapter 10) 


	11. Chapter 11

- - - -

Night had finally fallen, and the five walked slowly down the basement stairs, heading over to the steel cage in the middle of the room. Bobby reached into his pocket and pulled out a small key; he used it to unlock the cage door, and he took a deep breath and opened it, glancing at his niece. The young woman wordlessly walked inside; she kept her back to the door and stared out the basement window as Bobby closed and locked the door.

"Ally?" Alicia turned around and saw Dean standing next to the cage, holding onto the bars. The young woman walked over, putting her hands over his. "It's gonna be okay. Just tonight and tomorrow night – and then it'll all be over."

"I know," she replied softly as tears fell down her cheeks. She heard a click, and she and Dean looked over to see John checking his gun.

"Is that really necessary?" Sam asked, frowning at his father as he stood nearby, arms folded. It was bad enough that Alicia was being locked up in some cage like an animal, but it sickened him to see his own father with a gun – with the intent of possibly shooting Alicia.

"Yeah, she's in a cage, Dad," Dean replied, just as annoyed. He started thinking about all the times he had behaved in the exact same manner … and that scared him; his worst fear was to become the very things he hunted – something he was worried his father was already turning into.

"It's just a precaution," John replied, not looking up.

Dean wanted to tell his father exactly what he thought of his so-called 'precaution,' but he didn't. He looked back at Alicia, and he opened is mouth to say something, but he saw the full moon rising. "It's time," he said softly.

Alicia nodded – and she suddenly shouted out in pain as she slowly sank to the ground, doubling over, her entire body feeling as if it was on fire. She squeezed her eyes shut as she turned on her side, curling into a fetal position, clutching her stomach.

"Ally!" Dean shouted, kneeling down and reaching through the bars, trying to grab her hand, but she was just out of reach. He struggled and tried to squeeze further through the bars, but he couldn't reach her. He quickly got to his feet, briefly noticing that Sam had come over, as he turned to Bobby, glaring. "Open the cage, Bobby!"

"Look, Dean," Bobby said, trying to keep his voice calm, "I understand how you feel right now, but -"

"Ally's in pain," Dean interrupted, "and you're just standing out here watching her!"

"Dean, stand down!" John ordered.

"No!" Sam shouted, standing next to his brother, glaring at his father. "Dad, this is wrong, and you know it!"

"Bobby, open the door!" Dean shouted, feeling more and more anger welling up inside his gut.

"Dean, I can't do that!" Bobby shouted back, frustrated.

Earlier in the day Dean had grabbed his gun from Alicia's car, keeping it tucked in the back of his jeans – he felt defenseless without having some kind of weapon on him at all times – and he swiftly pulled it out, aiming it at Bobby. "Open the d--- door," he said, his voice low with edge.

Sam looked on in shock, not believing what his brother was doing. "Dean," he said, but he made no move to stop his brother. He didn't always agree with Dean's methods, but at this point, he could see that his older brother had claimed Alicia as his – and nothing was going to stop him from getting to her. Sam could understand that; he had become protective of the young woman himself, and he knew that Dean would react the same way if Sam had been in that cage.

"Dean, put the gun down!" John shouted.

"Not until he opens the door," Dean replied, keeping eye contact with Bobby.

"What are you gonna do if I don't, Dean?" Bobby asked, not flinching. "You gonna shoot me?"

"If I have to," Dean replied.

"Then what, huh?" Bobby asked. "What are you gonna tell Ally when she finds out? You think she's gonna still like you?"

Dean stared at Bobby, quietly seething. After a few seconds, he slowly lowered his gun, looking down, defeated. Bobby glanced at John briefly, then he saw Dean quickly bring up the gun in his hand and backhand the elder hunter in the face; Bobby dropped like a sack of potatoes, unconscious.

"Dean!" John shouted, not believing that his son had just knocked Bobby out. He took a step toward his older son. Sam reflexively grabbed the nearest thing within arm's reach – a broken broom handle – and took a swing at his father, connecting with the back of John's head. The eldest Winchester's eyes rolled into the back of his head before he fell forward, unconscious.

"D---," Dean said, stunned. Sam still clenched the broom handle as he looked up at his brother. "Didn't know you had it in you, Sammy."

Sam didn't reply as he put the handle back in its place before glancing at the young woman in the cage. She was still on the floor, curled up, her face contorted in pain as beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. "Get the key," he simply said.

"What about Dad and Bobby?" Dean asked as he rummaged around in Bobby's pocket, finding the key and smiling. "Got it." He glanced at his brother. "I mean, they're both gonna kill us when they wake up."

"Then let's make sure they can't get to us when they do," Sam replied. He glanced at the door leading to the basement pantry on the other side of the basement before looking back at his brother. Within a matter of seconds, the two brothers were dragging the unconscious men to the pantry, locking them in and barricading the door with a heavy bookshelf.

When they were done, they hurried back over to the cage, and Dean used the key to unlock the door. He opened it and rushed inside while Sam stayed near the door. Dean knelt beside Alicia and gently took her in his arms, leaning against the cage bars as he cradled her, smoothing damp hair from her face. He thought back to what his father had said about Alicia going through all the pain of a transformation without actually transforming; it really was Hell … and Dean wanted to do everything in his power to take away her suffering at that moment. He glanced briefly at the silver ring on Alicia's hand, remembering the conversation they'd had the night before.

- - - -

_"So, how does it work?" Dean asked, glancing at the silver ring on Alicia's finger. The two lay next to each other on her bed. Even though it was summer, it was unusually cold in the room, so the two had gotten under the covers, and Dean had given Alicia his maroon shirt to wear. _

_"Well, I don't know what Bobby really did," Alicia replied, "but it just keeps the monster suppressed. You know, the bloodlust … the animal part, basically." _

_"Except for the heightened senses, right?" Dean asked. _

_Alicia nodded. "I mean, you know, this ring never really stopped the pain on the full moon, but …," she trailed off and shook her head, "I've never almost lost it like that, Dean. Not since the night I …." She trailed off, looking sad. _

_"Ever?" Dean asked. Alicia shook her head. "You gonna tell Bobby?" _

_"No," Alicia replied. "He worries about me enough as it is." _

_Dean sighed. "Look, Ally, I know you're mad at him right now," he said, "but I know you also care about each other. Bobby needs to know if anything … wolfy changes." He shrugged. "I know I would – and I'd be p----- if you didn't say anything." He glanced over and saw Alicia staring at him. "What?" _

_"'Wolfy?'" she asked. _

_Dean shrugged again. "Best I could think of," he said, "but I still mean it. Bobby needs to know about this." _

_"And just what am I gonna say to him?" Alicia asked. "That I was sniffing you while you were sucking on my neck?" _

_"Yeah, we can leave **that** part out," Dean replied, squirming a little at the thought of Bobby finding out about … that. _

_"Telling Bobby should be my choice, Dean," Alicia replied. "I'm the one who killed my father - I have to live with that. I come home every month and stay in that d--- cage, and go through that pain." _

_"Because you think that's what you deserve?" Dean asked. _

_"Yes," Alicia replied. "I__sn't it obvious? When you do a bad thing, you have to be punished; I did the worst thing imaginable." _

_"What's obvious is that you're taking on too much responsibility here," Dean said. "You aren't a sociopath, and you aren't God - you didn't ask for any of this to happen, and you didn't make a conscious decision to take a life, and you can't control all the bad bumps in the night; I'm sorry, babe, but you just don't have that power." _

_"My father is **dead** because of me." _

_"Your father's dead because of The Demon, Ally," Dean said, trying to keep his voice calm, but he was frustrated that she wasn't getting it; it wasn't her fault. _

_"So is my mother," Alicia said, her voice cracking, "but it all comes back to me: The Demon was coming after me, and both of my parents are dead because of that. And now, this d ring isn't even working anymore." She shook her head and wiped her cheeks with the pads of her fingers as tears started falling. "Everyone would have been better off if I had never been born in the first place … or if Bobby had never found me." _

_Dean furrowed his eyebrows. "'Found you?'" he asked, confused. Alicia slowly held up her hands, palms up. Even in the dim light, Dean could make the jagged scars on her wrists, and his voice grew quiet as he gently took her hands to get a better look. "When did this happen?" _

_"After I killed my father;" Alicia whispered, "about a week after, actually. I … felt so ashamed for what I had done, and thought I didn't deserve to live – and I thought it'd be safer for everyone if I was dead." She took a ragged breath. "I, uh … I took my hunting knife into the bathroom, and I _…._" She trailed off, looking down, ashamed. She took a few breaths to compose herself before looking back up. "I blacked out shortly after that, and the next thing I remember was waking up in the hospital with my wrists bandaged. Bobby was just outside my room, talking with your father on the phone. I heard every word: I'd been lying in a pool of blood when Bobby'd found me, and the doctors had barely been able to save me." _

_"I think I remember that," Dean said with a sickening realization. "I mean, I remember that night. I know Dad had gone to a hunter's funeral the week before." _

_Alicia nodded. "My father's," she replied. "I remember John being there, but I didn't see you or Sam." _

_"Sam and Dad had just had another argument," Dean replied. "Sam was in his 'I don't want to be a part of this' stage, so he didn't go; I stayed behind to keep an eye on him, but Dad told us what had happened … that a werewolf had killed a fellow hunter." _

_"What did you think about that?" Alicia asked. _

_Dean knew that Alicia wanted him to confirm that she was a monster. He was tempted to lie to her, but he couldn't; he knew she wouldn't believe him. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I wanted to find it and kill it," he replied honestly. "Dad didn't say anything about the werewolf being you, Ally. He never mentioned you at all." _

_"Would it have made a difference?" Alicia asked. _

_Dean thought about that for a little bit, then he shook his head slightly. "I don't know," he replied. "I'd like to think so, but I really didn't start seeing past the whole 'black and white' thing until … well, until Sammy's visions. Kinda got the ball rolling on the seeing the 'shades of gray.'" He shrugged. "All things considered, I'm glad we didn't meet before the crash." He could see Alicia trying to smile a little, but he cleared his throat, deciding to move past that. "What happened after the hospital?" _

_"Bobby kept me under constant watch – and away from all our weapons – for six months," Alicia answered. "He wanted me to deal with it, saying he didn't blame me for what had happened, and that it was selfish to think that killing myself was the only way to deal with what happened." _

_ "I'm surprised he let you go hunting on your own after that," Dean replied. He paused, confused. "Why did he let you go hunting on your own after that?" Even he knew that letting a suicidal person go off on his or her own – especially with a bunch of sharp weapons at hand – was not a good thing to do, and Dean couldn't imagine Bobby being that stupid. _

_ "Because I convinced him I was better," Alicia answered. She shook her head. "I wasn't, and I think Bobby knew that, deep down, but I was getting antsy. I had to get away, Dean; I had to get back out there and do what needed to be done. I pushed it behind me and dove into my work." _

_Dean knew what that was like all too well. Hunting was a part of him, something he couldn't just walk away from … and, even though he'd never admit it, it was something he could use as an excuse to avoid dealing with things. It was wrong, he knew, but it still happened – a lot. "And you only came home during the full moon," he said. _

_"And I'd leave after it had passed," Alicia finished. "Go back and continue the hunt." She took a ragged breath and let it out slowly. "So, there you go: I'm completely messed up." She started crying softly. _

_Dean released her hands and wrapped his arms around her as she clung to him. "You're not messed up," he said, "no more than the rest of us, anyway." He knew that was probably not the best thing to say to her, but it was all he could think of. He took a deep breath and pulled back, looking at Alicia. "Look, I'm not very good at this, but you're not messed up; you're not disgusting, and you're not to blame for any of this, okay?" _

_"Then what's going on with me?" Alicia asked. "Why does The Demon want me?" _

_"I don't know," Dean asked, reluctantly and honestly. "I don't know why it wants you any more than I know why it wants Sammy - and that scares the crap out of me." He took a deep breath. "But it's been five years, Ally … don't you think it's time to stop punishing yourself?" _

- - - -

Dean came back to the present and looked down at Alicia's face. He could see that she was flushed, and he touched her forehead with the back of his hand; she was burning up. Dean looked over at his brother. "Get a cold washcloth," he said.

Sam nodded and left, returning a few minutes later with a cold wet washcloth and a glass of water. He hurried into the cage and knelt on Alicia's other side, putting the washcloth on her forehead before putting the glass to her lips. "Here," he said softly, "drink some water."

"I think I'm gonna hurl," Alicia replied, her entire body shaking.

"Just a little, please," Sam said. He tilted the glass a little, helping Alicia take a sip of water; she grimaced and turned her head, and Sam put the glass down, taking one of Alicia's hands.

Alicia suddenly started convulsing, and Dean held her close, keeping her head supported, trying to remain calm as he held her. He and Sam sat there, watching her and feeling helpless for what seemed like an eternity before the young woman's eyes rolled back as she slipped into unconsciousness, going limp in Dean's arms. "Ally?"

Sam put his fingers on his neck, feeling the shallow drumming. "She's got a pulse," he said. "Maybe it's better she's unconscious right now; she's not awake to feel this." He could see that his statement offered little comfort to his brother as Dean pulled Alicia closer, holding her gently; the younger Winchester held Alicia's hand as the two brothers kept a constant vigil throughout the night.

(End of Chapter 11)


	12. Chapter 12

- - - -

The next morning, Dean opened his eyes and blinked at the bright light streaming in through the basement window. He sighed and shifted a little, wincing at the pain in his lower back, like he had slept on something hard; he glanced behind him, seeing the cage bars – and Dean suddenly remembered everything. He looked over to see Alicia still in his arms, sound asleep, her face pale; he reflexively reached around and touched her forehead with one of his hands; she felt cooler than the previous night.

"I already checked." Dean looked up and saw Sam sitting on the other side, smiling a little. "Her fever's broken, and she's fine … she's just sleeping."

Dean sighed and tried to stretch out as best he could, yawning in the process; he wanted three things at that moment – a big cup of coffee, a hot shower, and the chance to scratch – but they were going to have to wait until he was certain Alicia was okay. He glanced back down at Alicia, still sleeping soundly, and his heart skipped a beat; she looked peaceful, like she didn't have a care in the world. "Is this how you felt with Jess?" he whispered, not even fully registering that he had spoken.

Sam stiffened a little at the mention of her name, but he was also startled that Dean would ask; it wasn't like his brother to be so … open with him. Sam wondered for a moment if Dean was having a mental meltdown, but he knew his older brother was experiencing something (even if Dean didn't know it) that Sam had felt with Jessica.

"Yeah," Sam admitted softly, taking one of Alicia's hands, finally understanding what it must have been like for Dean all these years; at that moment, he knew what it was like to have a younger sibling he would move Heaven and Hell for – someone he would die to protect. "It's kinda nice, huh?"

Dean hesitated, not sure he should really answer that question, but he finally gave in and shrugged. "Yeah," he finally admitted. He sighed. "I mean, I thought being with Cassie was nice, but … to be honest, it wouldn't have lasted; we're from two different worlds. I couldn't expect her to be a part of this world; wouldn't have been fair to her."

"And what about giving it up?" Sam asked.

Dean shook his head. "Not an option," he answered honestly.

Sam nodded, understanding. He had tried to give it up … but it had caught up to him, and Jessica had paid the price. He remembered all the times that Jessica had asked him about his family, and how he had always evaded her questions with lies – and how he had hated himself after her death, knowing that she had died without ever knowing the truth. "At least you don't have to lie to Alicia," he said after a few seconds of silence.

Dean noticed his brother's expression, and he knew what Sam meant; he looked down, feeling bad that he had inadvertently brought up Jessica, bringing to mind another reason why he hated expressing himself to anyone: he'd always open up his mouth and stick his boot inside, looking like a complete jacka. "Yeah," he said dismissively.

A small moan caught the brothers' attention, and they both looked to see Alicia stirring. They watched her slowly open her eyes, looking around, confused. Her gaze finally settled on Dean, and she relaxed a little. "Hey," she whispered.

"Hey, how you feeling?" Dean asked.

"Tired," Alicia answered. She yawned and shifted, wincing. "And sore."

"Well, you had a busy night," Dean replied, smiling a little, trying to lighten the mood.

Alicia chuckled, glancing over and seeing Sam. "Hey, Sam."

"Hey, yourself," Sam replied. The brothers helped Alicia into a sitting position, and the young woman rubbed the bridge of her nose. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just a little headache," Alicia replied. She looked around, finally noticing that they were still in the cage. "Why are you in here?" She searched the room for her uncle and Bobby. "Where're Bobby and John?" The brothers shifted uncomfortably.

"Would you believe me if I said they were in the closet together?" Dean asked.

"What?" Alicia asked, confused. She was still fuzzy-headed, and Dean wasn't making any sense.

"Uh … well," Sam said slowly, glancing at his brother. Dean was giving him a 'shut the h up, Sam' look, but Sam ignored him, "you see, last night there was a little … incident."

"What kind of 'incident?''" Alicia asked, looking worried, wondering if she had done something.

Sam looked at Dean. "You should tell her," he said.

"Why me?" Dean asked.

"You started it," Sam replied.

"Well, I wasn't the one who clubbed Dad over the head with a broomstick," Dean retorted.

"Well, it's better than pistol-whipping her uncle in the face," Sam retaliated.

"Okay, timeout," Alicia said, holding up a hand. "Please tell me that clubbing your father and pistol-whipping my uncle are code words for something." Dean and Sam didn't say anything as they glanced at each other nervously. Alicia shook her head and slowly got to her feet, pushing through the pain and slowly walked out of the cage, heading for the pantry; the boys followed. "Let me get this straight: you knocked your father and my uncle out and put them in the pantry? Are you both suicidal?"

"Ally," Dean said, "believe me when I said we had a good reason." Alicia stopped when she saw the bookshelf blocking the door, and she glanced over at Dean, silently demanding an explanation. Dean chuckled sheepishly. "We had to make sure they weren't going to get out and kill us."

"What, and you think they're not now?" The young woman sighed and shook her head. "Of all the stupid things to do …."

"Hey," Dean frowned, "hold on here – they were the ones who -" He was interrupted as he heard a muffled scrabbling from behind the pantry door.

"Dean Elias!" John shouted, his voice gravelly, like he had just woken up. "Samuel Zane!"

"'Zane?'" Alicia asked, raising an eyebrow. "'Elias?'" Despite her irritation with the brothers at the moment, she grinned a little, amused.

"You got something against our middle names?" Dean asked.

"No, just didn't know you had middle names," Alicia replied. She glanced at the door. "Bobby, you in there?"

"Yes," Bobby replied calmly, and Alicia knew that meant he was really upset – not that she could blame him; she'd be mad too if she was hit in the face by a gun.

"Are you in one piece?" Alicia asked.

"Yes," Bobby replied.

"Are you gonna kill us?" Dean asked.

"Why don't you open the door and find out?" Bobby suggested.

"I think I'll pass," Dean answered.

"Dean, get them out," Alicia ordered. She then looked at Sam. "Both of you."

"Look, if you want them out so badly," Dean said, "you get them out, because they can just stay in their own little cage, for all I care – at least they're not alone."

"Fine," Alicia replied before waving a hand. The bookshelf shuddered a little before sliding to the side, unblocking the door, and the lock rattled before unlocking; the young woman's knees wobbled a little, and Sam and Dean gently grabbed her arms, supporting her.

"Easy," Sam said. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just a little drained," Alicia replied.

"Can I ask you one question?" Dean asked.

"What?" Alicia asked.

"Are you out of your freakin' mind?" Dean replied. "Why did you move the bookshelf?"

"You told me to," Alicia answered, starting to get irritated again. "Look, I don't know what happened last night – and right now, I really don't care – but knocking out your father and my uncle, and tossing them into the pantry, were probably not the smartest things to do."

"Seems to be a trend." Dean and Sam stiffened as the trio slowly glanced over. They saw the pantry door open, with John and Bobby standing just outside. Bobby had a deep bruise on his face where Dean had hit him the previous night; both hunters glared at the brothers.

"You two are in so much trouble," John growled, advancing toward his sons, rubbing his head where Sam had hit him the night before. "You had no right to do what you did! It was stupid, reckless, and you could have gotten us all killed!"

"She didn't change!" Sam replied, angry and frustrated that his father was still acting like a jerk. "You and Bobby have your heads so far up your own a---- that you see what you want to see!"

"Sam, your father and I have been dealin' with this for five years!" Bobby shouted. "I think it's safe to say we know a little bit more about Alicia than you do!"

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here!" Alicia shouted before objects in the room shuddered. The four men looked at Alicia as she breathed hard, trying to stand on her own as she looked at them angrily.

Bobby sighed. "Ally, we -"

"Sam and Dean are right!" Alicia interrupted her uncle. "You and John spent five years standing by and watching me go through that h by myself! One of you could have been in there with me!"

"Thank you," Dean spoke up.

"And, Dean," Alicia said, looking at the young man, "your father and Bobby are right, too! It was dangerous to go in there, especially since my lycanthropy is starting to come out!" She suddenly realized what she had said, and she closed her eyes.

"What do you mean 'come out?'" Bobby asked, eyeing his niece with worry and suspicion.

"Nothing," Alicia replied quickly, hoping her uncle wouldn't question it further.

"Alicia Elizabeth Singer," Bobby warned, "what are you talkin' about? Does this have anything to do with growlin' yesterday?"

Alicia took a deep breath and slowly let it out, too tired to really argue anymore. "The growling wasn't the first time something like that had happened," she said.

"When was the first time?" Bobby asked.

"Last night," Alicia replied softly, her arms folded, "in my bedroom."

Bobby looked a little confused, then he glanced at Dean – and the elder hunter's eyes narrowed. "You son of a b," he growled as he advanced toward Dean. "This is your fault!"

"Bobby, back off!" Alicia shouted, blocking Dean from her uncle. "You don't even know what happened!"

"I know what I need to know!" Bobby replied angrily. "Dean was in your room last night, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out what you two were doin'!"

"We just talked!" Alicia shouted. She sighed, frustrated. "I cannot believe you don't trust me!"

"You I trust," Bobby replied, "it's him," he pointed at Dean, "that I don't." He glared at Dean. "What did you do to my niece?"

"It wasn't him!" Alicia protested. "It was me, okay? **I** was the one who sniffed him!" She turned her head, her cheeks red, clearly embarrassed.

The room grew quiet as Bobby and John let what Alicia had said sink in. Bobby's expression softened, fading from anger into concern. He glanced at John, who also looked worried.

"Boys, I think you better get your things together," Bobby said after a few seconds.

"You're kicking us out?" Dean asked, incredulously.

"No, but you two don't need to be here," Bobby answered. "I'll get the ingredients for the cure, and your dad and I will perform it tonight. We're a part of this already."

"Yeah, and we became a part of this when Alicia showed up at the crash site," Sam spoke up. "She helped us, and we're gonna do the same for her."

"Sam, this cure is dangerous," John said. "Alicia has to be in wolf form for it to take place, and I don't want either of you risking yourselves like that."

"**I** was the one who convinced her to take the cure in the first place," Dean said angrily. "I'm not just gonna up and leave her to fend for herself." He glanced knowingly at his father.

Sam glanced at his brother, knowing what Dean really meant by that. The younger brother looked back at his father, setting his jaw. "Yeah," he added. "Don't you think it's a little late to be worrying about our well-being, Dad?"

John's jaw narrowed as he heard the biting words from his sons, but he knew they were true. He had been a bad father to both of them … and now he was getting what he had sowed: two grown and independent men who were not afraid to confront him; it had been more prominent with Sam over the years, but even Dean was starting to come around and see things differently. Still, at that moment, all John could think about was that both of his sons were attacking him and Bobby – and the ex-Marine's stubborn pride took over.

"Fine," he said, "stay, if that's what you wanna do." He looked at Bobby. "I'm coming with you. Dean and Sam can watch Alicia." He brushed past everyone and headed up the stairs; the basement door slammed shut a few seconds later.

"This is my fault," Alicia said softly.

"No, it isn't," Sam replied. "We've been fighting with Dad a long time."

"Some of us more than others," Dean muttered.

Sam gave Dean a look before focusing his attention back on Alicia. "The point is," he continued, "our fighting started a long time ago. It isn't about you; it's about us." He shrugged. "If anyone should be apologizing, it should be us; it isn't fair for us to be fighting when there's something bigger to worry about."

"Sam's right," Bobby spoke up, his voice a lot calmer than it had been earlier. "There's more important stuff right now to be dealin' with than fightin'." He walked over to his niece. "Think we can move past this, Ally?"

"I want to," Alicia replied, honestly but with an edge to her voice, "but only if you'll stop jumping to conclusions about Dean."

Bobby glanced at Dean, who smiled sheepishly, and the elder hunter sighed as he looked back at Alicia. "We'll talk about that later," he replied. Alicia smiled a little and nodded, still looking a little tired and unsure. Bobby would accept that for the time, and he smiled a little as he leaned over and kissed his niece's forehead. "I need to go." He glanced at the brothers, looking serious. "Watch her."

"Yes, sir," the brothers replied in unison.

"Does this mean I'm off the hook for hitting you?" Dean asked, smiling. "I mean, it was nothing personal, Bobby."

"We'll also be talkin' about **that** later," Bobby replied before brushing past the boys and heading up the stairs.

"He's gonna kill me, isn't he?" Dean asked, his smile fading. He glanced over and saw Alicia rubbing the bridge of her nose, looking tired. "You okay, Ally?"

"Just tired," Alicia replied. "Uh, look, I'm gonna go take a shower, but we'll need to talk later on."

"About what?" Sam asked.

"There's a lot of stuff that needs to be done before tonight," Alicia replied. "We can get started on the altar later this morning."

"'Altar?'" Dean asked.

"I'll explain later," Alicia answered. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Thank you."

"For what?' Sam asked.

"For staying with me last night," Alicia replied. "I know I sounded angry, but I was just scared … you risked your lives for me."

"That's what friends are for," Sam said.

"Hey, he may be a friend," Dean replied, pointing at Sam, "but I am most definitely a friend with benefits." He grinned at Alicia.

Alicia smiled a little, knowing Dean was just being himself. "Actually," she said, "you guys aren't my friends." She saw the brothers' grins fade, and she smiled a little more. "You're more like a part of my family, now." She leaned up and kissed Sam's cheek. "Thank you."

"Hey!" Dean protested. Alicia chuckled before leaning over and softly kissing him on the mouth. Dean looked pleased after she pulled away.

"Happy?" Alicia asked, amused.

"Yes," Dean replied. "So, you want some help taking that shower?" Sam kicked Dean's leg. "Ow!" Dean glared at his brother.

"Thanks, but I think I can manage on my own," Alicia replied before heading up the stairs. After the brothers heard the door close, Dean turned around and punched Sam's arm.

"Hey!" Sam said, rubbing his arm. "What was that for?"

"For hitting me," Dean retorted. The two kept bickering as they headed up the stairs.

(End of Chapter 12)


	13. Chapter 13

- - - -

When breakfast ended, the trio set about getting the altar built and gathering the available ingredients for the cure. John and Bobby returned a few hours later with the others, and the five of them worked in a tense silence, getting everything ready before nightfall.

Later that evening, Sam stood just outside the outer circle, feeling nervous. He knew that the cure wasn't going to be easy for any of them, especially for Alicia. He glanced at his brother as Dean stood near the cauldron over the fire on the north side of the outer circle, stoking the fire as John came out the front door. He carried a linen sack that held the toads, and a small shoe box that held the snake, the mandrake root, and some fungus in one hand; in his other hand, he carried a bundle of the three tree branches tied together with a red ribbon. Sam knew what the sticks were for and didn't like it one bit, even though he knew they were necessary.

"Where's Ally?" Dean asked.

"Inside with Bobby," John answered. He watched his older son head into the house, leaving him alone with Sam. John eyed his younger son as Sam refused to look at him; John sighed as he walked over. "Sammy?"

"What?" Sam asked curtly.

"We need to talk," John replied, keeping his voice calm. Sam remained quiet, and John knew he was going to have to start; he sighed as he put the stuff in his hands down on the ground.

Sam looked over at his father, a little surprised, but his features quickly hardened as his guard went back up. "About what?" he asked.

John chuckled mirthlessly, knowing this wasn't going to be easy. "A lot," he answered. "I've been doing a lot of thinking all day, about … everything." He paused for a second. "Sammy, you were right: getting The Demon isn't the most important thing … you and Dean are."

Sam could see that his father was being sincere, and he started to relax, trying to keep his emotions in check, but he was still a little wary. He glanced at his father, wondering for a moment if John was possessed again.

John caught his son's expression and smiled a little, knowing what his son was thinking. "I'm not possessed again," he said. "This is really me, I promise."

Sam furrowed his eyebrows, but he believed his father. "So, why the sudden change of heart?" he asked softly.

"Because Bobby reminded me of something I should have been thinking about this entire time," John answered. "Do you know what Alicia was like before her father was killed?" Sam shook her head. "She was happy, for the most part. I know she had bad days, everyone does, but she had this … fire in her, something I hadn't seen in many hunters. I'm sure she's told you about how she tried to kill herself after her father died."

"Dean told me," Sam replied.

John nodded. "She spent the next five years blaming herself for what had happened to Dwight." He smiled a little. "The first time she's gotten that any of that fire back in her eyes was after being around you and Dean." His smile went away. "Asking you to kill me would have put you in the same boat as Alicia had been.

"I've been a bad father, Sammy," John continued, looking off into the distance, "and I know I can be a jacka - as Dean put it – but I wanted you to know that what I said last week about … about everything … I meant it, and I still mean it."

"I know," Sam replied quietly. He knew it was going to take time for things to be okay between them, but it was a start. "What about Dean?"

"I'll talk with him, too," John replied. "I know he's got his own issues with me." He paused, then grinned a little. "Sam?"

"Yeah?" Sam asked.

John rubbed his head. "Next time, try not to hit me with a broomstick, okay?" he asked.

The two chuckled before Bobby, Dean, and Alicia walked out the front door, heading over. Sam's and John's faces became more solemn as the trio approached them, and John reached down to grab the stuff near his feet; he handed Sam the bundle of branches before going over to the cauldron, adding the snake, fungus, mandrake root, and linen bag to the concoction, stirring everything with a long wooden spoon. Sam went over to his spot by one of the candles, fingering the branches in his hands, trying not to think about what he'd soon be doing with them.

John glanced up as Bobby came over to help him. "Everything okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Bobby replied quietly, watching as Alicia and Dean stood off to one side, out of earshot. He knew this was going to be dangerous – that there was a possibility it could kill Alicia instead of curing her – and he was scared. He had lost everyone in his family to something supernatural, and he was worried that he was about to lose his niece as well.

"You okay?" Dean asked quietly as he stood with Alicia; he knew the others were watching them, but he didn't care.

"I'm scared," Alicia replied quietly.

"I know," Dean said, putting his hands on her shoulders. Alicia glanced over Dean's shoulder and saw the moon rising, then looked back at him; he nodded, knowing it was time. He grabbed a folded blanket on the ground near his feet and held it up, giving Alicia privacy as she undressed; he didn't even try to sneak a peek. When she had finished, he wrapped it around her shoulders. A sudden unearthly sound rang out, and Dean's heart raced as he looked over. "What the h was that?"

Bobby pointed at the cauldron. "The toads," he replied. "It's ready."

Sam looked at the pot with disgust. He didn't approve of boiling animals alive, but he forced himself to not think about it; there was something else bigger at stake. He watched as Dean led Alicia into the middle of the circle and she knelt; he glanced at the chains nailed into the ground, reminding him of the restraints used in circuses for elephants. Sam hated thinking of Alicia as an animal that needed to be restrained, but he knew that this was necessary – for all of their safety.

Dean picked up the chains and looked at them in disgust. He also knew that Alicia needed to be restrained and kept in the circle, but he didn't know if he could be the one to do it.

"It's okay," Alicia whispered, holding her hair up.

Dean felt sick to his stomach as he knelt in front of her, wrapping the chains around her graceful neck; he padlocked the metal for extra security, then he stared at her for a few seconds before grabbing her and kissing her deeply. "This is gonna work, Ally. I know it."

Alicia nodded, wanting to believe him; she waited for him to leave the circle. She glanced up as the moon rose, feeling the pain building in her, and she quickly removed her ring, tossing it aside. She was immediately engulfed in excruciating pain as she shouted out; she doubled over, her entire body feeling as if it was on fire. The young woman squeezed her eyes shut as she felt the animal taking her over, and she reflexively tried to fight it, but she knew the fight was in vain – it had her, and it wasn't letting her go.

Her body shook as her hands and feet grew, her digits and appendages elongated, and her fingernails and toenails lengthened into powerful six-inch claws. She writhed in pain as her muscles thickened and body expanded, taking on a distinct animal form. Thick, dark gray fur covered her body, and her ears grew larger; she tossed the blanket aside. She cried out as her face took on a more animal shape, her jaw and nose extending into a powerful muzzle; her teeth enlarged into razor-sharp weapons.

With the transformation done, the creature growled softly; then she opened her eyes, the slits brown and blue; she slowly rose to her full height – over seven feet – and she tilted her head back, letting loose an ear-splitting howl. Then she started struggling against her chains, snarling and growling, but they did their job, keeping her restrained inside the circle.

Sam and Dean had watched in horror as Alicia changed; they had never seen a werewolf transform – even as kids – but they had the end result; it shocked them to see someone change that drastically. They glanced at each other as they stood their ground, reminding themselves that Alicia was in there somewhere.

"Son of a b," Dean whispered. Alicia's head turned at the sound, and her eyes narrowed as she growled at him, her teeth glistening in the moonlight. Dean chuckled nervously as he backed away. "Easy, girl." He glanced at Bobby and his father. "Any time you two are ready."

"Keep her distracted!" John shouted to the brothers as he dipped a cup into the cauldron, throwing the scalding concoction on Alicia. She howled in pain before turning her attention toward John, growling loudly and struggling against the chains; John turned to his youngest son. "Now, Sam!"

Dean stayed with Sam as the youngest Winchester brought the bundle of branches down on the creature's back, lashing her hard, and both brothers tried not to think of the pain Sam was causing her. Alicia snarled as the branches hit her like a whip, and she struggled, trying to get around to the brothers as Bobby shouted the ritual words.

"Turpis phasmatis, solvo is alio animus!" he shouted. "Reverto ut valde incompertus!"

The four men repeated the process two more times: John would douse Alicia with concoction, Sam lashed her with the branches with Dean covering him, and Bobby would say the words. When they had finished, they stood back and watched, waiting.

"Okay, now what?" Dean asked after a few seconds. "Did we miss something?"

Bobby didn't want to give up, but nothing was happening; the cure hadn't worked. He glanced over at John, and he could see that his friend looked just as troubled. Bobby fought back tears as he slowly reached for the gun he had tucked into the back of his jeans earlier that day - just in case - and pulled it out. He checked the clip, making sure it was loaded with silver bullets. He replaced the clip and carefully aimed his gun at the werewolf.

"Bobby, no!" Dean shouted.

"Dean, there's no other way," Bobby replied, his voice from cracking as he stared at the creature in front of him. "Forgive me, Ally." Before he could pull the trigger, the werewolf let loose with an ear-splitting sound – it was like a cross between a howl and a scream. Everyone tensed as Alicia writhed and doubled over, then she felt to her knees. Something was happening; her body shrank in size, the fur disappeared, and she was human again. She stared at Dean through cloudy eyes for a few seconds - then she collapsed to the ground and didn't move.

Dean was the first to react. He grabbed the blanket off the ground and gently wrapped it around Alicia, shielding her naked body from view. There was blood on her neck from her struggles against the chains, and he unlocked them, tossing them away in disgust. He carefully turned her around, keeping her covered. "Ally?" he asked, gently brushing her hair from her face.

"Is she okay?" Bobby asked as he and the others hurried over.

Sam knelt on Alicia's other side and moved the blanket from around her neck. He sucked in his breath when he saw the deep gouges. He ignored the blood and gently pressed his fingers against her neck. "She's got a pulse," he said after a few seconds, feeling the shallow drumming under his fingers.

"We gotta get her inside," John said. "Get those gashes taken care of."

Dean ran on pure adrenaline as he got to his feet, keeping Alicia secured in his arms as he hurried to the house with the others close behind him. "I'm taking her to her room," he said, heading up the stairs and down the hall to Alicia's room. He crossed the room to her bed in one stride, gently sitting on the bed, cradling the young woman in his arms and talking to her softly, trying to revive her; he didn't notice that his father had followed him into the room, standing nearby and keeping quiet as he watched his son.

"I got some towels," Sam said as he came into the room a few seconds later, carrying a few damp towels and one dry towel. He sat on the bed next to Dean and gently began cleaning Alicia's neck.

Dean refused to leave Alicia's side as Sam worked, caressing her face and gently talking to her, concentrating on getting her to respond. "Hey, open your eyes, Ally," he said softly. "Come on, honey, look at me. Just open your eyes and look at me." He tried not to freak out because she wasn't responding; she was breathing and she had a pulse, and he'd accept that – for now.

"Got the first aid kit," Bobby said, coming into the room a short time later. He waited near the brothers for Sam to clean away the blood before he tended to the gouges, dabbing them with antiseptic before covering them with pieces of gauze. "There." He glanced at the brothers as he got up. "You can put her to bed now."

The brothers stood up, and Sam carefully pulled back the covers, allowing Dean to gently lay Alicia (still wrapped in the blanket) on the mattress, letting her head rest on the pillow. He smoothed some hair from her face and Sam covered her with the sheets, gently tucking them around her.

"Why don't you three get some rest?" Bobby suggested. "I'll stay with her."

Dean shook his head. "No, I'll stay with her," he said.

"Dean, you need to get some rest," Sam replied. "If she wakes up, Bobby will get us."

"I'm staying with her, Sam," Dean reiterated, his tone and expression clearly indicating that he wasn't leaving Alicia's side.

"I'll stay with him," John spoke up.

Sam opened his mouth to argue, but he saw John shake his head slightly, and Sam understood what his father was really saying – he wanted time alone with Dean. The youngest Winchester nodded and grabbed the towels, leaving the room with Bobby; the elder hunter slowly closed the door, leaving the older Winchesters alone with the young woman.

Dean carefully sat on the edge of the bed, taking Alicia's hand. He knew that his father was still there, but he didn't care; his attention was completely focused on the young woman in the bed.

John watched his son sitting on the bed, watching over the woman he obviously cared about, and his mind wandered back to his life before The Demon – when everything had been normal. He remembered all the times he had watched Mary while she slept soundly in their bed … he even remembered all the times he had watched over Dean and little Sammy after tucking them into bed, and he allowed himself a small smile. After a few seconds, reality came back, and his smile faded; he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Dean?" he asked softly.

"Save it, Dad," Dean replied, not even looking over. "Whatever it is, I don't wanna hear it – not tonight."

"Not even an apology?" John asked.

Dean stiffened, and he turned his head slightly, but he looked back at Alicia. He knew he was being stubborn; he didn't care. To be honest, he wanted to hear what his father had to say, but he wasn't sure that he could handle it. There were a lot of things about his father that Dean had come to resent, especially over the past year, and Dean wasn't sure if he could keep his temper in check at the moment.

"Look, Dean, I know it's been a long night," John said softly, "but I've already talked to your brother, and I'd like to talk to you as well." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'm sorry for being a bad father." Dean wasn't prepared for that, and he relaxed as he turned to look at his father. He was shocked by his father's words, and he started to get up, but John held up a hand, stopping him. "Stay there, Dean; it's okay." He waited until Dean was settled back on the bed.

"You're not a bad father, Dad," Dean said after a few seconds of silence.

"I took away your childhood," John replied, "I treated you and your brother like soldiers instead of sons." He paused. "Dean, I didn't want this life for either of you, but after your mother was killed – I just saw an evil world I needed to protect my boys from."

"And you did that," Dean said.

"Dean, you can't tell me there's nothing about how I raised you that you resent," John replied.

Dean opened his mouth to deny that, but he sighed; his father was right. "You left me," he said quietly after a few seconds. "You just up and left one day, and you didn't tell me where you were going." He looked over at his father in disbelief. "How could you do that, Dad? Sammy had been gone for years, and you told me that it was just us … and then you just disappeared."

"I know," John replied quietly, "and I shouldn't have done that."

"You know," Dean continued, his defenses coming down, years of anger and resentment surfacing, "I finally accepted this way of life when I was sixteen, but the truth was, I only accepted it because I knew you would never let me or Sam live our own lives – and you proved me right when Sam decided to leave." He knew the floodgates were coming down, and there was no stopping what was on his mind, but he did remember that Alicia was there, so he forced himself to keep his voice down. "And what about the Shtriga? I can understand being upset, but I was ten years old, Dad. And what about all the times you expected Sam and me to follow your orders without questioning you?" He paused to take a ragged breath, trying to keep from crying. "Look, I know you did your best to raise us, and all things considered, Sam and I were pretty lucky, but we'd already lost Mom that night … and in a way, we lost you, too." He paused to get his emotions under control as he turned from his father, looking down at Alicia.

John's eyes glistened with tears as he walked over to his son, putting a hand on Dean's shoulder, squeezing it a little. "Dean," he said softly, "I know I can't change what I did in the past, but I want you to know that I'm going to do my best and try to be the father I wasn't from now on." Dean didn't answer him, but his son nodded slowly, and John knew that was just Dean's way. The elder hunter glanced down at the sleeping woman in the bed. "You really like her, don't you?"

"Yeah," Dean mumbled, too emotionally exhausted to put up a front.

"I guess I can live with that," John said after a few seconds.

"Look, I can understand Bobby going ballistic about us being together," Dean said, "but you I don't get, Dad. Why do you want me to stay away from her?"

John lowered his head, lost in thought, and he was quiet for a few seconds; he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "No more secrets," he said softly. He looked at his son. "Look, Dean, I'll tell you, but it's gonna have to be later; I want to tell you and Sam at the same time."

"Why?" Dean asked, immediately on guard.

John shook his head. "Dean, you have enough to worry about right now with Alicia," he said. "Focus on her, okay?" Dean didn't look convinced, but he didn't say anything; he sighed, giving his father a wary look. John patted Dean's shoulder. "If you need anything, I'm just down the hall." Dean nodded, and John left the room, closing the door.

Dean watched his father leave, thinking about what John had said to him … and wondering what he was hiding, but the young hunter glanced back at Alicia – and all thoughts about everything else were pushed aside. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he rubbed his head, trying to clear his thoughts; he was exhausted.

After a few seconds he kicked off his boots, shifting carefully on the mattress until he lay on top of the covers beside the young woman. He instinctively wanted to put his arms around her, to protect her, but he was worried about aggravating her injuries. He simply turned on his side, facing her, ignoring the lump under her pillow; he knew it was a gun, but he wasn't surprised – he kept a knife under his own pillow. Still, the young hunter found it amusing, despite everything that had happened that evening, and he allowed himself a small chuckle as he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

(End of Chapter 13)

_ For those wondering what Bobby was shouting, it was, "Foul spirit, release this person's soul, return to the great unknown!" _


	14. Chapter 14

- - - -  
The night seemed endless as the world slept peacefully, unaware of the chaos that had just taken place in the South Dakota salvage yard; only a handful of people knew the secrets that were kept hidden behind rusted cars, scrap metal, and a rundown house. The minutes crawled by like hours until at last the sun rose slowly over the horizon; a soft darkness still covered the landscape as Dean yawned and stretched under Alicia's fleece blanket, exhausted and grungy from spending another night in his clothes. The young man's head felt thick from lack of sleep; he reflexively rubbed a hand over his face before turning on his side, trying to bury himself into the pillows, knowing it was too early to be getting up.

"Morning," a voice whispered.

"Mmmmm," Dean mumbled before smacking and licking his lips, trying to relieve the chapped feeling. With his reaction time slow from fatigue, physical and emotional, it took the young hunter a few seconds to comprehend that he was under the blanket – and he knew for a fact that that blanket had been at the foot of Alicia's bed the night before. Dean's eyes flew open, and he bolted into a sitting position. He looked at the spot next to him and saw that Alicia was not beside him. His heart pounded as he quickly scanned the bedroom; he finally spotted Alicia sitting at the bay window, wearing a very loose-fitting navy blue terry robe tied with a flimsy red sash.

"Hey," she said softly, giving him a tired smile.

"Ally?" Dean asked, confused, worried, and relieved all at the same time. His heart still pounded in his chest, as he scrambled out from under the blanket, getting to his feet and crossing the room in three strides; he sat down beside her, trying to regain his composure. "What are you doing up? You're supposed to be resting."

"Couldn't sleep anymore," Alicia replied softly; she moved her head slightly and winced, lightly fingering the gauze on her neck. "Ow."

"You okay?" Dean asked, glancing at her neck, looking for any signs of blood or anything that would cause alarm, but he saw nothing.

"Yeah, just hurts," Alicia answered. She had a pretty good idea about what must have happened for her to have sustained that kind of injury, why she felt completely drained, but she had to be sure. "What happened last night?"

"You turned," Dean said, "and fought the chains; that's why your neck's cut up, but it's nothing serious." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, still processing the previous night's events. "We did the ritual … and you changed back."

"So, it worked?" Alicia asked, hopeful.

"I don't know," Dean replied honestly, wishing he knew for sure; he hated not knowing the answers, especially when it involved the people he cared about. "We'll have to wait and see. I mean, tonight's the last full moon of the month … we probably won't be really sure until next month." Alicia looked a little disappointed as she lowered her head, and Dean felt bad that he couldn't give her the reassurance she wanted. "Look, I know it sucks, but I'm sure we'll be able to find ways to keep ourselves busy." Alicia looked confused. "Ally, I ain't leaving until my car's fixed, which will take a few weeks. I think we could all use a little break anyway, considering."

Alicia nodded. "Okay," she replied, not sure what else she could – or should – say to that. She pursed her lips, lost in her own thoughts for a few seconds, before she leaned over and softly kissed Dean's lips; it hurt her neck a little, but she forced herself not to think about that. When she finally pulled away, she could see surprise on Dean's face; if she hadn't been so exhausted, she would have smiled. "Thank you."

"Not that I mind," Dean said slowly, "but what was that for?"

"For everything," Alicia answered. "If it wasn't for you and Sam, I'd probably still be infected."

"You don't plan on thanking Sammy the same way, do you?" Dean asked, smiling a little.

Alicia finally allowed herself a small smile, but she didn't say anything, and Dean knew it was just from fatigue; he glanced down at her robe. "Nice robe."

"It was my father's," Alicia replied softly. "After … after he died, I kinda took this. It's nice wearing this after hunting; it's loose and comfortable when I get sore," she shrugged, "and I can pretend it smells like him." She looked a little embarrassed.

"You wanted something that'd keep you close to him," Dean replied, understanding. Alicia looked over, surprised; Dean chuckled and held up his right hand, showing his silver washer ring. "I know the feeling."

"What is it?" Alicia asked, furrowing her eyebrows, intrigued.

"Just some washers I got from Dad's garage when I was little," Dean replied. "I used to keep in my pockets all the time, because they reminded me of my father. I even kept them in my pajama pockets at night … even the night Mom died. They're two of the few things I have of my life before that night." He shrugged. "When I was older, I had them made them into a ring; easier to keep track of."

"Do you remember your life before that night?" Alicia asked.

"Not much," Dean answered. He sighed and shifted, wanting to change the subject; he didn't like talking about his life before his mother died, mainly because he couldn't remember. "You up for getting some more rest?"

Alicia shrugged. "Don't know," she replied. "I'm kinda hungry, but I don't wanna move around a lot."

"Well, if I get you down to the kitchen," Dean said, "will you be okay with that?"

Alicia nodded. "I think I can live with that," she said.

Dean stood and leaned over, carefully scooping Alicia into his arms, cradling her gently as he headed to the door. Alicia wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning against him and closing her eyes; it felt so … nice being in his arms. Dean managed to balance the young woman and open the door, quietly heading out into the hallway and down the stairs to the kitchen. He stopped short when he saw John, Bobby, and Sam at the kitchen table, drinking coffee. They looked up, and the young man suddenly felt self-conscious; he hoped he wasn't blushing – he couldn't stand blushing, even in front of his family.

"Look who's finally up," Bobby said. Alicia opened her eyes and looked over. "Hey, honey."

"What are you guys doing up?" Alicia asked, suddenly feeling shy as she made sure that the top of her robe was covering what needed to be covered; she hadn't been expecting an audience.

"We never went to sleep, actually," Sam replied. He watched Dean bring Alicia over to the table and gently set her down, hiding a smile as he sipped some more coffee. "How're you feeling?"

"Tired," Alicia admitted as Dean went to get a cup of coffee for her. "Dean told me what happened last night … and that we're gonna have to wait until the next full moon to see if it really worked."

"We have to be sure," John said seriously.

"I know," Alicia replied quietly. Dean brought two mugs over, handing one to her before taking the seat next to her. "Thanks." She carefully sipped the hot liquid, closing her eyes as it warmed her. She put her mug down after a few seconds and gently rubbed her head.

"You okay?" Bobby asked.

Alicia nodded. "Just tired," she replied. She picked up her mug and rested her elbows on the table; she took another sip before looking at Sam. "Thank you, Sam."

Sam smiled. "That's what friends are for," he said. He saw Dean smirking behind his mug, and the younger Winchester knew his brother was thinking … other thoughts; normally, Sam would kick him, but he decided to let it slide for the time being. "I'm just glad it worked."

"Yeah, sure beats shooting her, right, Bobby?" Dean asked, giving Bobby a hard look.

"Dean, it's okay," Alicia said gently.

"Why?" Dean asked angrily, trying to keep from shouting. "Ally, he almost **shot** you last night."

"Would you rather have me stayed chained up all night," Alicia asked, "tearing my neck to shreds?"

"No," Dean answered, "but I can't believe you're -" He was interrupted as Alicia gently took his hand and squeezed it a little. 

"Dean," the young woman said, "it's over … please just drop it."

"I just wanna know what's gonna happen if this doesn't work," Dean said, looking back at Bobby. 

"I ain't plannin' on killin' her, if that's what you think," Bobby said; he glanced briefly at Alicia before looking back at Dean.

"So, I guess it's okay to shoot her as long as you don't kill her, right?" Dean asked, getting to his feet and storming out. Sam wordlessly got up and followed his brother out of the kitchen and then out of the house; he finally caught up with his brother as Dean marched down the dirt road, stopping to kick a large rock. "Son of a b----."

"You know, you get better distance if you throw it," Sam said.

"You know," Dean replied angrily as he turned around to face his brother, "I thought our family was messed up, but what Bobby almost did – even having that gun – was just sick." He reached down and picked up another rock, throwing it as hard as he could; he really wanted to punch something – namely Bobby – but he didn't want to stress Alicia anymore than she already was.

"He only had the gun because I gave it to him, Dean." The brothers looked over to see Alicia slowly walking toward them, barefoot and still in the robe; she could see from their expressions that they weren't sure if they had heard her correctly.

"You gave Bobby the gun?" Sam asked. Alicia slowly nodded, shifting before she looked down.

"Ally, why would you do that?" Dean asked, shocked.

"Because I didn't know if the cure would actually work," Alicia said softly, "and I didn't want to risk hurting anyone else. My father's dead because I lost control … and look at what's happening to me; this … thing is trying to control me, and I can't stand the though of killing someone else because I couldn't control myself."

Sam swallowed; he understood Alicia's reasoning – he would have probably done the same thing if he had been in her position – but he was too mad to say it. He was so angry with The Demon for doing this to Alicia – to all of them – and he was mad at Alicia for thinking that her only option was to force her uncle to kill her. Yes, there was a chance that the cure hadn't worked, but they would have found some way to help her. There was always a way – there had to be.

"So, you ask your uncle to kill you?" Dean spoke up, his eyes full of anger and hurt as he started pacing. "That would be like … like having Dad asking me to kill Sammy." He shook his head. "You don't **do** that to your family, Ally."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Alicia asked, her voice laced with frustration and helplessness. "Stay locked in a cage every night that there's a full moon for the rest of my life?" She shook her head. "I can't do that anymore, Dean."

"How about just trusting us for a change, okay?" Dean asked, trying to calm down. He could see where Alicia was coming from, but it still frustrated him to think that she hadn't trusted them – that she hadn't trusted **him**. "I mean, come on, there's always a way to fix something." He sighed tiredly, rubbing his head, not really wanting to argue. "Look, we're not really gonna know if this worked until next month anyway, right?" Alicia slowly nodded. "Then let's not worry about it until then, okay?"

"And just what are we gonna do until then?" Alicia asked.

"Well, I gotta fix my car," Dean replied; he suddenly smirked, "but that leaves my nights free."

"And I'm sure Bobby will be camping out in the hall every night from now on," Sam replied, grinning; he almost laughed when he saw Dean glaring at him.

"The point," Dean continued, "is that I will **definitely** be making some time for you, Ally." He glanced down and saw Alicia's bare feet shifting on the hard rocks. He sighed, wordlessly walked over to the young woman, and scooped her up in his arms; he grinned at her. "And I think you've already got enough injuries, don't you?" Alicia opened her mouth to respond, but a loud rumbling interrupted her; she blushed, and both brothers found her reaction adorable. "Dude, you weren't kidding when you said you were hungry, huh?"

"Why don't we go back and get some breakfast?" Sam asked, still smiling.

"Yeah, I'll whip up a four-course meal," Dean said as he headed back toward the house with Alicia in his arms; Sam walked beside his brother.

"You can cook?" Alicia asked, looking up, impressed.

"Well, it's not something I like to brag about," Dean replied, shrugging his shoulders, trying to appear modest.

"Don't blame you," Sam said. "Not too many people like to brag about how they can burn eggs in less than a minute."

"Shut up, Sam!" Dean replied, looking annoyed with his brother. Alicia raised an eyebrow as she settled into Dean's arms and listened to the brothers bickering; that was definitely something she'd have to get used to.

Inside the house, John and Bobby watched the trio from the living room window, studying the three young hunters with a mixture of anger and concern.

"Do you think it really worked?" John asked.

"I hope so," Bobby replied. He glanced briefly at the other hunter. "We have to tell them – and soon; they have a right to know, especially Ally and Sam."

"I know," John said somberly. "I just hate telling them before we know who the third one is."

"And I hate lyin' to my niece," Bobby retorted, "and to Sam – and to Dean. They're good kids; they didn't ask for this."

"Don't you think I know that?" John asked angrily, turning to Bobby. "This involves my child, too, Bobby. None of us asked for this. How do you think I feel, knowing what The Demon has in store for my son?" He sighed, not wanting to argue. "Look, we need to make sure the cure worked before we even consider telling them about ... everything - especially considering that we were right about Alicia's link to Sam."

"Makes sense, seein' as he never had a vision of her before," Bobby added. He sighed. "Okay, we wait until we know the cure worked – then we tell 'em."

"And what if it didn't?" John asked. "You saw what was happening to Alicia when she was around the boys."

"I ain't gonna kill her, John!" Bobby said angrily. "I don't care what The Demon did to her! I don't want anything happenin' to Dean or Sam, but I ain't gonna lose Ally the way I lost her parents!"

"And I'm not gonna lose my sons!" John retorted. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, calming down. "Look, we need to have a backup plan – just in case – and I say we figure it out before the next full moon."

"You know," Bobby said as he headed to his desk and looked around, trying to appear busy; he needed to be doing something instead of just standing around, "maybe it's good they met now instead of later. We have more time to prepare."

"And they have more time to grow attached to each other," John added. "Look at the way they are around each other after only a few days together. My boys will do anything to protect Alicia … we've already seen that." He shook his head. "I just don't want them getting careless."

Bobby would have let loose with a barrage of expletives at his friend, but he knew that John was right – to a point. Bobby wasn't fond of how quickly the trio had grown close; he was concerned with how much interest Dean showed in his niece – and how Alicia seemed to be reciprocating. Dean's and Sam's feelings for Alicia were beginning to affecting their judgment, as were Alicia's feelings toward the brothers; all three of them were starting to doubt Bobby's and John's decisions, something the elder hunters couldn't afford.

The two hunters knew that the events of the past few days were going to shape all of their lives from now on. Their children were in for a journey that was going to test them in ways that they couldn't even begin to imagine. The storm was coming – quicker than they had expected.

And there was no turning back.

The End

_And just because I said I would, this is the 'cure' I used (I found it on the internet at at place that I can't find anymore, but it is **NOT** mine.)_

_Cast a circle of 9 feet, and a smaller one only 4 feet in diameter. Place a series of candles at equal intervals, and place a wooden altar in the south. Within the inner circle, place the werewolf (you are on your own to figure out how to get a hold of him/her.) Build a small fire exactly opposite of the altar, and 1 1/2 foot away from the inner circle. Place a pot over the fire, containing 2 pints of clear water. To this add: _

_· 1/2 oz. camphor  
· 3/4 oz. ammonia  
· 1/2 oz. hypericum  
· 2 drachms sulfur  
· 1/2 oz castorium  
· 6 drachms opium  
· 3 drachms asafoetida _

_ - Highly illegal, and potentially lethal  
_

_ Mix thoroughly and then add a portion of mandrake root, 1 live snake, 2 live toads in a linen bag, and a fungus (guess any kind will do ... mushrooms, that old pizza that needs a shave that has been in the fridge, any of what Sam would refer to as 'Darwinism.') Bind together with red ribbon a wand of three sprigs, each from ash, white poplar, and birch._

(At this point it would be wise to employ the services of your local D.O.C.)

When the toads cry out from being immersed in the now boiling water, the mixture is ready. Take a cup full of the searing liquid and douse the werewolf, as well as lashing him/her with the wand, exclaiming "Foul spirit release this persons' soul, return to the great unknown!" Repeat 3 times." (Lather, rinse, repeat winks)


End file.
